A realist philosophical approach for housing research: critical realism

The development of housing studies as an academic discipline from its roots in the 1970s has seen research undertaken into a range of phenomena associated with housing, home and society. Different philosophical approaches have been adopted by housing researchers in their studies to help them to carry out their explorations, examinations and investigations. This article presents an analysis of one philosophical approach which can help the housing researcher in their quest for knowledge. It looks at the philosophy of critical realism (CR), the relationship that it has with housing studies and how it can be used as an approach within housing research. Three core aspects are looked at through three parts within the article. The first part provides an introduction to CR, describing key aspects and highlighting fundament parts of the philosophical approach. The second part of the article considers the role of philosophy in relation to research and the overall approaches that underlie philosophical approaches. The third part of the article focuses on realism in housing research and compares social constructionist and CR approaches within this philosophical tradition in relation to their appropriateness for research within the field of housing studies. At the end of the article the main strands are brought together in a concluding section.