An approximation to typologies in sociological research based on the lifestyles of masculine homosexuals in Lima

Abstract

In this paper we present a heuristic pathway for the construction of typologies in sociological research. We show the main characteristics of the types, their relationship with the concepts of common sense and their place within scientific concepts. At the same time, using data from a survey conducted in late 2014 as part of an ongoing research about the forms of subjectivation of homosexuality in Lima, we present a typology of the lifestyles of men who practice homoeroticism. With this presentation we seek to reconstruct the modus operandi of the development of typologies, as it articulates the theoretical and technical-methodological research levels. For the first level we draw upon a brief framework for the analysis, as for the second we use two techniques of statistical analysis: the multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) and the hierarchical ascendant classification (HAC).