CASUíSTICA Y SUBJETIVISMO: FALSOS ESTIGMAS DE LA INVESTIGACIóN CUALITATIVA

qualitative research has been stigmatized as subjective and incapable of generalizing knowledge. this article refutes both charges by presenting the main elements of a "data theory" and a "theory on the production of empirical universals", both of which challenge the foundations of the above-mentioned critique. it, moreover, critically discusses: 1) the premises behind the theories that assert the existence of "objective" data; and 2) the foundations of the deductive-nomological tradition. it concludes sketching a different strategy to produce universals, where case studies and comparisons play the main role.