Martyn Hammersley

Hammersley's early research was in the sociology of education, with a particular focus on processes of classroom interaction in secondary schools.^[8] He joined the Open University at a time when it was one of the leading centres for the 'new sociology of education',^[9] and he was involved in subsequent debates about the character and value of the various kinds of work coming under this heading.^[10][11]

Many of his publications have been concerned with methodological and philosophical issues arising in sociology, and across the social sciences generally. These issues have included: the nature and role of theory, the criteria by which qualitative research should be evaluated, and the issues of objectivity and value neutrality.^[12][13] He wrote a book on Herbert Blumer's methodological ideas, locating these in historical context.^[14] He has written a number of articles on analytic induction (an approach developed by Florian Znaniecki), examining its history. In What's Wrong with Ethnography?, he advocates what he referred to as "subtle realism",^[15] as opposed to various forms of relativism and scepticism.^{[16][17][18][19]} With Paul Atkinson, he wrote an introduction to ethnography, now in its fourth edition.^[20]

He has also examined issues surrounding the qualitative-quantitative divide, and the nature of qualitative research.^[21][22][23]

More recently he has co-authored a book on ethics and qualitative research.^[24] He is a critic of ethical regulation, in other words of institutional review boards and research ethics committees,^[25] and has sought to clarify the concept of academic freedom.^[26][27][28]

Hammersley has been involved in a series of controversies, for example over feminist methodology,^[29] about racism and anti-racist research,^[30] and concerning the character of qualitative research and the criteria of validity appropriate to it.^[31][32] He has also questioned the arguments of the evidence-based practice movement.^{[33][34][35][36][37]} In The Limits of Social Science, he argued that social science is limited to the discovery of value-relevant explanations for social phenomena, a position that is at odds with the grandiose claims frequently made for its potential contribution to public policy making and to transformative political action.^[38] He has also questioned recent advocacy of a 'normative turn' in sociology.^[39]

He has written about ethnomethodology, assessing its radical claims.^[40] He has produced books about the concept of culture and about other key sociological concepts.^[41] Most recently, he has written articles about the sociologist Karl Mannheim,^[42] a book on Methodological Concepts, and a Dictionary of Social Research Methodology.^[43]

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