Interpretive Method and Critique for Contemporary Political Problems

Schedule: 4-5 July, 2025 (09.30-15.30 Jakarta Time)

About

This workshop explores the theoretical and methodological implications of the claim that meaningful knowledge about human society requires interpretation. First, we will discuss the ontological and epistemological bases of this claim, drawing on both classical and contemporary sources. Second, the workshop will consider the challenge this claim presents for dominant traditions of scholarship modelled on natural scientific method. Focusing on studies of current political issues, we will diagnose and critique the entwinements of knowledge and power in paradigmatic examples of social science. Third, we will hone our own research skills through practical exercises. Participants will be introduced to research methods and strategies of project design and reliability that respond to the meaning-laden quality of social life.

*Please note that this module includes challenging philosophical materials, and demands a significant amount of compulsory pre-reading. Although this will be a practical workshop, participants should not enrol unless they are able to complete all the required reading before the module.

Instructor

Samuel Blanch

Affiliation: Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia

Samuel David Blanch is an accomplished academic with a Ph.D. from the Australian National University, specializing in knowledge, ethics, and art in Shia Islam. His diverse educational background includes a Master’s in Sociology and Anthropology of Religion from King’s College London and a Juris Doctor with honors from ANU, his work spans law, religion, and social justice. He has held research fellowships at prestigious institutions, published in academic journals, and delivered numerous conference presentations. His interdisciplinary expertise is complemented by teaching roles and contributions to international academic discourse on law, religion, and ethics.