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MENTAL MODEL · M9383

Extended Case Method

Extended Case Method
CultureHigh supportSociology
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Updated 2026-08-22

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INTRODUCTION

English translation pending.

CORE DEFINITION

The extended case method, articulated most fully by Michael Burawoy, begins from a single site of participant observation and extends outward from that site in four directions: to the observer, across time, across social space, and to theory. The core proposition is that depth rather than sample size generates general knowledge, because anomalies in a well-understood case reveal the limits of existing theory and force its reconstruction. The key qualification is that extension must be genuine: a study that stays at thick description, or that imposes a macro framework without engaging case detail, fails on either side.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

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Reduce cognitive load

- Anchor In One Site: study a single setting closely enough to know its internal logic. - Extend Outward: connect local interaction to wider structures, history and power. - Chase The Anomaly: treat findings that contradict theory as the most informative material.

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Theory is usually built from cases that confirm it, so its boundaries stay invisible. A deeply known case produces observations that the existing theory cannot explain, and those anomalies mark where the theory needs revision. Extending the case outward shows how forces operating far beyond the site produce the local pattern, which turns a single setting into evidence about a broader social process.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Extended_Case_MethodZH · Explicit
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