Poetry and Social Sciences

(Shanjing)

...The use of poetry in sociology (and other social sciences) to

facilitate the understanding of human  societies and human social behavior has been well

documented in the work of a few academic pioneers.

  
For instance, in a two-year Canadian federally-funded postdoctoral study on

“Poetic Inquiry in Qualitative Research,” Prendergast (2012) conducted a critical survey on the use of poetry in social

science qualitative research practices. The study revealed that most of the poetically-informed scholarship has appeared

in the past decade; many of the poems address philosophical, phenomenological and/or poststructuralist opportunities

that present themselves through the use of poetry in social science contexts.  In another study, Foster (2012)

investigated the use of poetry to promote social justice.  The project draws on an ESRC-funded research project on a

new labor initiative involving families with young children in disadvantaged areas.  The study suggests that poetic texts

can provide insight into the lives of others, and can generate important discussion in the process of their interpretations. 

The research discusses the function of poems and the extent to which an arts-based approach to social inquiry can

challenge traditional way of thinking and provide alternative discourses...

  The social function of poetry is also shared by scholars of literature and language.  In “Sociology, Aesthetics, Poetics

and Text,” Ward (1990) provides insightful discussion on works by sociologist Richard H. Brown: A Poetic for

Sociology (1977) and Society as Text: Essays on Rhetoric, Reason, and Reality (1987). He argues that poems

employing effective metaphors for society “allow not merely subjective understanding but human agency, whereas

‘nonlinguistic metaphors of society such as the machine or the organism eschew an understanding of human will and

reason.’”  Society as text is neither merely subjective (romantic) nor objective (positivistic). Poetic languages relate

sociality, reflexivity and creativity. In “Surrendering and Catching in Poetry and Sociology” Ward (1993) discusses the

ways in which poetic language expands our sense of the body and gives us the opportunity to experience a rich journey

of human existence.

            Additionally, some sociologists have been using poetry to teach sociology (Samules, 1987; Miley, 1988).  Samules, a sociologist who also writes poems, found that using poetry in teaching tends to be more effective than teaching without poetry.  For instance, the poem

“I had no memory,
I had no childhood,
I became an old woman,
at the age of four”
by an incest victim helped students gain an empathetic understanding of the phenomenon of some individuals’ withdrawal from society.  He integrated relevant poems on a variety of topics such as race/ethnicity, the origin and functions of religion, and the eight stages we go through in the life cycle (Eric Erikson’s theory), among others. Samules’ experience as a poet and sociologist provides powerful evidence that using poetry in teaching sociology contributes to positive outcomes such as increased interest in learning, higher attendance, and improved grades.

            The intimate relationship between sociological thinking and poetry has always existed.  In a way, good poems on social issues/human conditions may serve as a mine of ideas for research.  A poem written many years ago may stimulate important sociological research to bring about positive social changes, as documented by Bloor (2012), whose important study was derived from Samuel Coleridge’s epic poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.”  Inspired by this classic poem, Bloor spent 12 years, researching the conditions of maritime crews, including one month aboard a supertanker.  His study, titled “The Rime of the Globalised Mariner,” appeared in the academic journal Sociology.  As a result of this research, public pressure has already improved standards on shipping's environmental side, particularly in the oil industry. ...”
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山静@wenxuecity.com.