Interpretivism in IS – a Postmodernist (or Postpositivist?) Knowledge Theory

摘要

This paper explores the association between postmodernism and interpretivism. The paper’s objective is to show that theinterpretivist research paradigm shows very clear postmodernist traits. After defining the two concepts the paper attempts toanswer the research question whether interpretivism is a typical postmodernist approach to Information Systems science andresearch. The paper is conceptual, using a philosophical-logical approach. It makes a contribution to the discipline ofInformation Systems by taking the reflection on the continuum of positivism-interpretivism-critical research a level deeper byconnecting interpretivism with the broader, encompassing paradigm of postmodernism.