Making Things Possible

I argue that what-makes-it-possible questions are a distinct and important kind of sociological research question. What is social phenomenonPmade possible or enabled by? Results won't be aboutP's causes and causal relationships, but about its enablers and enabling relationships. I examine the character of what-makes-it-possible questions and claims, how they can be empirically investigated, and what they're good for. If I'm right, they provide a unique perspective on social phenomena, they show how the social world doesn't come ready-made, and they open up new avenues for research.