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In this article some links between comparative methods, interdisciplinary studies and the internationalization of sociological knowledge are explored. The most fruitful comparative approach, it is argued, is neither positivistic nor relativistic, but should involve systematic incorporation of contextual analysis in selecting indices and explanatory variables. It is demonstrated that in order to carry out such contextual analysis effectively, the researcher is impelled toward both an interdisciplinary approach and international collaboration.
Neil J. Smelser (2003) studied this question.