Natural language processing

The integration of a new methodological paradigm into sociology

Authors

  • Renáta Németh Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Research Center for Computational Social Science
  • Júlia Koltai Centre for Social Sciences, Budapest; Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Social Sciences

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17356/ieejsp.v9i1.871
Abstract Views: 1196 PDF Downloads: 767

Keywords:

natural language processing, text analytics, text mining, institutialization, epistemology, causality

Abstract

Natural language processing (NLP) methods are designed to automatically process and analyze large amounts of textual data. The integration of this new-generation toolbox into sociology faces many challenges. NLP was institutionalized outside of sociology, while the expertise of sociology has been based on its own methods of research. Another challenge is epistemological: it is related to the validity of digital data and the different viewpoints associated with predictive and causal approaches.

In our paper, we discuss the challenges and opportunities of the use of NLP in sociology, offer some potential solutions to the concerns and provide meaningful and diverse examples of its sociological application, most of which are related to research on Eastern European societies. The focus will be on the use of NLP in quantitative text analysis. Solutions are provided concerning how sociological knowledge can be incorporated into the new methods and how the new analytical tools can be evaluated against the principles of traditional quantitative methodology.

Downloads

Published

2023-04-26

How to Cite

[1]
Németh, R. and Koltai, J. 2023. Natural language processing: The integration of a new methodological paradigm into sociology. Intersections. East European Journal of Society and Politics. 9, 1 (Apr. 2023), 5–22. DOI:https://doi.org/10.17356/ieejsp.v9i1.871.

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 1 (2023): Research Papers

Section

Articles

License

Copyright Notice

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication, with the work three months after publication simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal. This acknowledgement is not automatic, it should be asked from the editors and can usually be obtained one year after its first publication in the journal.