The Grounded Theory in geography: A possible way towards empiricism and theory construction after the Cultural Turn

Abstract

Apparently, epistemological realism has been largely overcome in the course of the cultural turn. Yet the essential problem of dualism between theory and practice remains. Grounded Theory research directly aims at this problem. Nevertheless, this research style has not yet been incorporated substantially into the academic field of Human Geography, although it is more popular in other social sciences. Especially for Geography which is a deeply empirical discipline there is a necessity for reflected and integrated methodologies. In this article we will outline the basic concepts of Grounded Theory Methodology. Based on these outlines we will point out some problems researchers might face, but also show benefits and implications. We argue that the Grounded Theory Methodology can be one important way of bridging the gap between theory and practice and that it can give an additional value to geographic research after the Cultural Turn.