Problematize

How it is used

Common in critical scholarship; it need not mean creating a practical problem.

Example sentences

1. The article uses student interviews to problematize the idea of equal access.

   Students' experiences challenge an apparently neutral idea.

2. We should problematize the category of native speaker before comparing groups.

   The category itself needs examination before use.

Common collocations

• problematize an assumption
• problematize a concept

Related terms

• critiqueA careful evaluation of a theory, study or text that discusses its strengths and weaknesses; also used as a verb.
• assumptionSomething accepted as true without being proved, which a theory, method or statistical test depends on.

More terms: Academic Vocabulary

• indicate
• e.g.
• i.e.
• concept
• approach
• implication
• demonstrate
• furthermore
• phenomenon
• comprise
• respectively
• however