Comparing Comparisons

Comparisons form a core process in knowledge creation. We cannot not compare, when reflecting about or studying what concerns or interests us. Meaning derives from comparing. The short essays collected in this volume reflect on aspects, methods, benefits and possible pitfalls of comparisons in the social sciences and humanities. They were originally published as blog entries on the open edition platform Hypotheses between May 2020 and May 2021. We decided to re-publish them in the compact format of an e-book to make them more easily accessible as a set – and therefore more readily comparable.

CONTENTS

Preface

Comparing Comparisons – Introduction and Overview
James D. SIDAWAY and Franz WALDENBERGER

The Changing Meanings of Comparisons for Sociocultural Anthropology
Isaac GAGNE

Cross-Country Comparative Research and Quantitative Data Analysis
Markus HECKEL

A ‘Conversation’ on Comparisons between Japanese Studies, Contemporary History and Medieval Art History
Nora KOTTMANN

Comparative research in/of Southeast Asia
Shaun LIN

The Comparative Society
Felix MALLIN

From Implicit Towards Explicit Comparative Research
Hendrik MEYER-OHLE

Studying Comparisons
Simon ROWEDDER

Who compares? The commodification and decolonization of comparison
James D. SIDAWAY and Franz WALDENBERGER