Empirical Sociology, Gender and Sexuality: Epistemological and Methodical Boundaries to Go Beyond Conceptual Binarism.

Abstract

The main goal of this paper is to suggest a conceptual tool for the empirical sociologist interested in investigating ordinary and non-normative sexuality. This work represents the natural prosecution of my previous PhD research focused on sexual identity and the ability to plan life and affectivity. The twenty-four testimonies/life stories collected during my previous work are revised and discussed on three well-defined levels of social science. In particular, the epistemological, methodological and technical levels enable us to reach a deep understanding of the relationship between homosexuality and gender variance. Therefore, the main effort to be accomplished is to go beyond the restrictive conceptual binaries characterizing most gender studies. The implications of this effort are also discussed in relation to the role of sociology and interdisciplinary approaches in the study of such complex arguments.

Keywords: Reflectivity, Common Sense, Epistemological Boundaries, Narratives.