Critical realism

Critical realism has become increasingly well known in the social sciences, particularly for its trenchant critiques of forms of idealism such as positivism and interpretivism. Rarely, however, has critical realism itself been subjected to critique. This article argues that realism and idealism are just two sides of the same foundationalist coin, with both making ontological claims that seem to be unfalsifiable. So far, the application of critical realism to housing studies has not proved to be particularly fruitful, and the advances made by critical realists may have been in spite of, rather than because of, their commitment to critical realism. © 2012 Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.