Minding the gap between culture and connectivity Laying the foundations for a relational mixed methods social network analysis

A large theoretical strand in social theory emphasizes the ways that culture and social relations interpenetrate and mutually condition one another so thoroughly that one may only conceive of one without the other at significant loss in terms of the social phenomena one studies. Despite this, most empirical research does precisely that, treating these domains as discrete realms that can be independently inquired. This likely follows from the fact that although each domain in isolation has a set of powerful and clearly defined empirical methods, the intersection between them is largely a methodological terra incognita. This chapter takes a step toward alleviating this situation by theorizing the ways culture and connectivity intersect and overlap, and providing concrete examples on ways that these interconnections can be methodologically queried. In this way, the chapter lays out the epistemic foundations for a mixed method approach to social networks.