Designing and conducting empirical research in the humanities and social sciences
Lecture – LACNAD/INALCO – LACNAD Master’s seminar – 6 October 2026
by Prof. Dr Mena B. Lafkioui
Research Director at the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS)
Director of Studies at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales/LIER-FYT
Chair of Tamazight Linguistics
She is a linguist and sociolinguist, specialising in Afro-Asian languages and cultures, notably Berber (the Berber language family) and Semitic languages. Her academic interests lie in comparative, typological and theoretical linguistics, as well as in geolinguistics and variational and interactional sociolinguistics. The diversity and contact between languages and cultures in Africa and its diaspora are areas of research she has been working on for over twenty years.
Conference abstract
From data to knowledge, this conference examines the foundations of empirical research in the humanities and social sciences: how do we formulate a research question, understand the field, analyse data and produce knowledge? Drawing on case studies, it highlights the methodological choices that shape the research process and examines issues of validity, ethics and new perspectives in empirical research.
Organisation
Daniela Merolla: View e-mail