Interpreting History: Observations on Methodology in Taylor’s The Social Constitution

Abstract

This review essay articulates methodological insights gleaned from Whitney Taylor’s The Social Constitution: Embedding Social Rights Through Legal Mobilization (Cambridge University Press, 2023). Through an analysis of how Taylor used interview and comparative methods, the essay addresses the opportunities and challenges of drawing on interview data to make sense of past events. It also explores the use of comparative methods, both comparing one country to another and comparing different regions in one country.