The epistemology of contemporary social sciences and humanities

Abstract

In the 1980s, postmodernism posed a series of critiques against the social sciences and humanities, with anthropology being a prominent target. Although these critiques never prevented the continued development of the social sciences and humanities, the conundrum constituted by the “subject” and “subjectivity” remained unresolved. At its core, the methodological challenge facing the social sciences and humanities lies in the question of whether it is possible for a human (researcher) to study other humans living under different institutions (e.g., varying kinship institutions). Drawing on the researcher’s firsthand ethnographic fieldwork experiences, this study analyses and critiques the questions and solutions proposed by postmodernism through two key dimensions: fieldwork practice and methodology. The objective is to resolve this dilemma, thereby advancing the epistemological foundations of the social sciences and humanities.