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Global Health Econ Sustain Weber and Martineau: Bias in sociological method

of questions as he proceeds and as new subjects arise, and, contribution to physical education over the last two
in addition to this dynamic list of questions, recommends centuries, likely due to the male hegemony in knowledge
using (2) a diary, which should be employed to record construction (Jefferson-Buchanan, 2023).
facts, emphasizing that “the manner of doing this is not to
depend on the rule of note-paper, but on the nature of the 3.3. Harriet Martineau before Max Weber: Beyond
traveler’s mind” (Martineau, 2021, p. 239). At this point, two parallelism, a gender bias?
relevant aspects emerge regarding the logistics of recording As indicated by Lipset (1962) and Daflon & Campos
data in the diary: (i) It should be filled in during moments (2022), in Martineau’s How to Observe: Morals and
of distance from observation (at night or the morning Manners (1838), there were many methodological traits
following the observations and routines), and (ii) it should like those presented by Max Weber in his various works
include what is most likely to be forgotten by the observer, on the sociological research method, all published
relying on memory for what is preferred and valued by after 1900. From this point on, two hypotheses can be
the observer, which would prevent forgetting. Finally, she highlighted regarding methodological overlap and the
suggests a third tool for observation, (3) a notebook “(...) absence of citation of Martineau in manuscripts related to
(always at hand), not to be drawn before people’s eyes for the scientific method applied to social sciences. Regarding
the entry of connected facts, but to be used to protect the methodological overlap, the idea of historical parallelism
transient appearances which, though revealing much to initially emerges. According to the Collins Dictionary
an observant mind, cannot be remembered with entire (Parallel, 2022), historical parallelism refers to events or
precision” (Martineau, 2021, p. 241). the existence of similar facts in different places or periods.
According to Martineau, the study of morals (as she Such a phenomenon has examples in the field of sociology,
considered what we now know as sociology) demanded such as Durkheim’s concept of “collective representation”
from the researcher reflexivity, objectivity, and “empathy,” and Georg Simmel’s notion of “sociability” (Lu, 2019).
which is the ability to exchange positions with the The absence of Martineau in subsequent studies after
subjects of research and engage in patient and non- her publications may be due to the lack of awareness and
judgmental listening. In this manner, the author advocated gender bias. While the possibility of the lack of awareness
pioneeringly for the necessity of developing specific rules cannot be disregarded, we must not forget that gender
to produce sociological knowledge (Campos & Daflon, inequality is prevalent in academia and science, even
2023). She was convinced of the transformative “power of today, as evidenced by what is known as the “Matilda
education” (Watts, 2011), and her conceptual potential is effect,” which involves a repetitive pattern of ignoring, not
huge, including new vocabularies, new precedents, new recognizing, or concealing women in science (Lincoln
systems of relevance, new models of engaged sociological et al., 2012). The lack of visibility of women’s participation
practice from her substantive and systematic observations and the marginalization of female contributions align with
of society, which is relevant to historical and comparative the androcentric character of thought, where prevailing
sociologists (Hill & Hoecker-Drysdale, 2001). In this sense, patterns of male dominance from society are assimilated
she is recognized as the pioneer of sociology in Britain, and, at times, legitimized as scientific knowledge. This
but little scholarly attention has yet been paid to the early phenomenon has historically manifested in disciplines
reception of her work far from there (Lecaros, 2022). such as history, philosophy, literature, and psychology –
As widely recognized in the fields of physical education, as well as – physical education, spanning diverse fields of
sports science, and epidemiology, for a comprehensive knowledge generation. As a result, it perpetuates a tradition
understanding of how a society functions and is organized, that extends across various domains, encompassing
the recommended methodological approach is to initiate different schools of thought and intellectual currents
research by outlining the most general characteristics of (Mariano, 2008). In fact, it is indicated that the scientific
collective life, such as subsistence, birth, mortality, and community has excluded, removed, and silenced women
overall communal ideas (Campos & Daflon, 2023). In the from its inception. “With this postulate, the ability to do
physical education research area, her contributions could science has been removed from women and attributed
significantly enhance the study of the sociology of sport’s to men, who should be “endowed with reason”. Over
methodology, morals, racism, educational principles, time, many women who challenged this paradigm were
gender-related issues, and feminism, as well as ideal-type ignored, minimized, and at times, usurped by their male
observation procedures. Indeed, despite her relevant counterparts” (Oliveira-Ciabati et al., 2021, p. 9).
thinking related to morals and costumes, a potential Martineau emphasized the need to consider the
gender bias might have diminished Harriet Martineau’s entirety of a particular society in its study. This includes

Volume 1 Issue 2 (2023) 7 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.0992