Contextuality, Commensurability, and Comparability in Comparative Research

To ward off naïve universalism, researchers are urged to stay context sensitive in conducting comparative research. But robust hypothesis testing requires making comparisons across cultures with not only different traditions but also different knowledge paradigms, which in turn calls for more sophisticated contextualization and thicker interpretations that risk eroding the basis of comparison. To respond to these issues, this study has used research on Chinese relationships as an example to demonstrate how the incommensurability/commensurability framework can be useful in dealing with the problem. It shows how a thorough examination of the unique and the incommensurably different has revealed commensurable similarities that can pave the way to theory advancement.