From Social Sciences to Urban Praxis: A Critical Synthesis of Historical–Contextual Inquiry and Analysis in Urban Studies

Hisham Abusaada () and Abeer Elshater
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Hisham Abusaada: Department of Architecture, Housing and Building National Research Center (HBRC), Cairo P.O. Box 1770, Egypt
Abeer Elshater: Department of Urban Design and Planning, Ain Shams University, Cairo P.O. Box 11517, Egypt

Societies, 2025, vol. 15, issue 4, 1-31

Abstract: This concept paper introduces the Contextual Critical Historical Inquiry and Analysis (CCHIA) framework—a critical synthesis tool designed to advance historical contextual inquiry in urban studies. The study aims to develop a structured methodological framework that integrates historical and critical approaches to enhance the analysis of urban phenomena. To develop this framework, we employed a two-fold strategy, conducting a literature search of the social sciences and urban studies using databases including Google Scholar, Web of Science, JSTOR, and Scopus. First, we screened Google Scholar to identify relevant scholars and works published between 1883 and 2024. Second, a content analysis of 58 peer-reviewed articles (2000–2024) was then performed. The concept paper follows a five-stage, 26-step framework integrating four history-focused concepts—interpretive history, historical perspective, historical context, and historical contextualization—alongside three critical approaches: critical discourse analysis, comparative historical analysis, and critical urban theory. By synthesizing these elements, the suggested framework equips researchers to systematically decode the historical and societal forces shaping urban phenomena. CCHIA challenges traditional urban scholarship by leveraging interdisciplinary insights from the social sciences, addressing context as a theoretical perspective for understanding urban formation, and as a critical influence on academic writing. The contribution of CCHIA lies in linking historical analysis to contemporary urban challenges—enabling researchers to focus on previous literature analysis findings to address the current situation’s challenges. The CCHIA framework offers an adaptable toolkit for producing socially engaged and context-sensitive urban textbooks.

Keywords: critical discourse analysis; critical historical analysis; critical synthesis; historical inquiry; historical perspective; interdisciplinary research; multidisciplinary perspectives (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 A14 P P0 P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 Z1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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