Sources, methods, and the violence of insurgency in Northern Ireland
The study of violence perpetrated by non-state groups is a burgeoning field of research. Across the disciplines scholars debate the character and impact of political violence. This chapter will introduce the various research methods employed to examine the disparate actions of violent individuals or...
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| Format: | Book section |
| Language: | English |
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Oxford University Press
2023
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| _version_ | 1826311639874404352 |
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| author | Kowalski, RC |
| author_facet | Kowalski, RC |
| author_sort | Kowalski, RC |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | The study of violence perpetrated by non-state groups is a burgeoning field of research. Across the disciplines scholars debate the character and impact of political violence. This chapter will introduce the various research methods employed to examine the disparate actions of violent individuals or groups during contemporary and past insurgencies, civil wars, or terrorist campaigns. It will explore the debate that persists among researchers concerning methodological best practice, using the violence perpetrated by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) between 1969 and 1998 as a case study. Studies of every scale, scope, and methodological approach—qualitative and quantitative—have distinct strengths and merits; but they also have limitations. Studies that rely on a single research method or limited pool of evidence may, therefore, produce findings that are misleading without further qualification. This chapter argues that a mixed-method approach can potentially minimize the impact of the shortcomings of either qualitative or quantitative research. But the accuracy of claims based on academic research will always be subject to the quality of the sample of evidence selected and critical analysis that is employed to interrogate it. Accordingly, it is researchers’ awareness of and transparency regarding the specific limitations of their work that is of paramount importance. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T08:12:46Z |
| format | Book section |
| id | oxford-uuid:831eb4ba-81b9-4967-9236-ee80f36c8aaa |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T08:12:46Z |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publisher | Oxford University Press |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:831eb4ba-81b9-4967-9236-ee80f36c8aaa2023-12-08T11:17:59ZSources, methods, and the violence of insurgency in Northern IrelandBook sectionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_1843uuid:831eb4ba-81b9-4967-9236-ee80f36c8aaaEnglishSymplectic ElementsOxford University Press2023Kowalski, RCThe study of violence perpetrated by non-state groups is a burgeoning field of research. Across the disciplines scholars debate the character and impact of political violence. This chapter will introduce the various research methods employed to examine the disparate actions of violent individuals or groups during contemporary and past insurgencies, civil wars, or terrorist campaigns. It will explore the debate that persists among researchers concerning methodological best practice, using the violence perpetrated by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) between 1969 and 1998 as a case study. Studies of every scale, scope, and methodological approach—qualitative and quantitative—have distinct strengths and merits; but they also have limitations. Studies that rely on a single research method or limited pool of evidence may, therefore, produce findings that are misleading without further qualification. This chapter argues that a mixed-method approach can potentially minimize the impact of the shortcomings of either qualitative or quantitative research. But the accuracy of claims based on academic research will always be subject to the quality of the sample of evidence selected and critical analysis that is employed to interrogate it. Accordingly, it is researchers’ awareness of and transparency regarding the specific limitations of their work that is of paramount importance. |
| spellingShingle | Kowalski, RC Sources, methods, and the violence of insurgency in Northern Ireland |
| title | Sources, methods, and the violence of insurgency in Northern Ireland |
| title_full | Sources, methods, and the violence of insurgency in Northern Ireland |
| title_fullStr | Sources, methods, and the violence of insurgency in Northern Ireland |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sources, methods, and the violence of insurgency in Northern Ireland |
| title_short | Sources, methods, and the violence of insurgency in Northern Ireland |
| title_sort | sources methods and the violence of insurgency in northern ireland |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kowalskirc sourcesmethodsandtheviolenceofinsurgencyinnorthernireland |