Liam Greenacre

Profile

I am a transdisciplinary researcher and generalist who likes to engage with theoretical, methodological and philosophical issues in Sociology and beyond. I have a BA in History and a MA in Medieval Studies from the University of York.

I joined the School of Sociology and Social Policy in February 2023 with my project focusing on a ‘A Transdisciplinary Perspective on the Realist and Constructivist Debate.’

Research interests

My research is concerned with ontology (the nature of existence and being) and how this affects epistemic and methodological issues in Sociology. Theoretical and philosophical debates in Sociology have tended to focus around whether reality is constructed or real- with numerous potential solutions. These, in turn, have affected the methods we use to study society (e.g. phenomenology, realist synthesis) and also the individuals and groups we assign knowledge to. My research aims to examine this issue of ontology while placing it in the context of its epistemological and methodological consequences.

 As a transdisciplinary researcher, I look at and integrate points of view from a variety of disciplines and vantage points with the aim of providing as broad and complete account as possible. I study topics that go across the faculties, with the belief that only when disciplines engage in constructive and creative dialogue can we hope to address fundamental sociological and philosophical issues.  My research aims to gather knowledge from three main sources:

1. Academic Literature- spanning across the sciences, social sciences and humanities.
2. Art works- such as painting, theatre, films, literature and video games.
3. Knowledge produced outside academia- gathered through interviews.

At the core of my research, is the belief that generalists are just as needed as much as experts, as such I aim to span disciplines as much as possible. Breadth and depth are equally critical if we are to gain an understanding of the nature of social reality. As a generalist, I have an eclectic range of research interests including:

• The theory and practice of transdisciplinarity.
• Metaphysics, especially ontology and its relationship to Sociology
• The history of Late Antiquity.
• Network theory and analysis.
• Quantum Mechanics.

I blog about my interests at https://philosophicalostrogoth.home.blog/.

Qualifications

• MA Medieval Studies- University of York
• BA History- University of York