The Faculty of Philosophy announces the publication of The Method(s) of Phenomenology. An Introduction by Maren Wehrle, published by Palgrave Macmillan (Springer Nature).
Phenomenology is often presented through its great names or through debates between “classical,” “critical,” and “applied” approaches. In this book, Maren Wehrle deliberately takes another path. She starts from a simple but surprisingly neglected question: what does it mean, in practice, to do phenomenology?
Her answer is that, despite its many variations, phenomenology repeatedly returns to the same set of tasks. Whether realistic or transcendental, feminist, critical, or applied, phenomenological research aims to describe experience without prejudice, to identify what is general or essential within it, and to investigate the conditions that make experience possible—either in specific cases or in general.
Beginning with Husserl, the book traces these three methodological strands and, above all, makes them visible at work. Rather than treating phenomenological methods as abstract techniques, Wehrle shows how they operate through concrete examples, drawn from both classical texts and later developments. Shifts in emphasis, critical responses, and alternative approaches are woven into the discussion and highlighted in short sections for further reading.
The most substantial part of the book, “Phenomenology in Action,” shows how these methods continue to matter today. It explores contemporary and politically engaged phenomenology, postphenomenology in the philosophy of technology, and interdisciplinary work that connects phenomenology with fields such as sociology, anthropology, psychiatry, and neuroscience. Attention is also given to how phenomenological approaches interact with both qualitative and quantitative research practices.
Throughout, The Method(s) of Phenomenology makes the case that phenomenology can be understood as a shared methodological project, despite internal disagreements. By focusing on what phenomenologists actually do, rather than on disputes over labels or orthodoxy, the book reopens a path toward the original phenomenological ambition: returning, methodically and critically, to the things themselves.
Bio
Maren Wehrle, is Associate Professor for Practical Philosophy at Erasmus School of Philosophy, Erasmus University Rotterdam. Her research focuses on phenomenology, philosophical and cultural anthropology, cognitive sciences and feminist philosophy. She has published two monographs, two edited volumes, a handbook on Husserl, as well as numerous articles on topics such as attention, embodiment, habit, gender, normality and normativity in experience.
