1 What Is (and Is Not) Social Research? Introduction There are many ways to study and tell about social life. Sometimes it is hard to tell which of these are social research and which are not. Consider a few examples. Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo wrote a book, Domdéstica: Immigrant Workers Cleaning and Caring in the Shadows of Affluence (2001), in which she describes the recent expansion of domestic jobs in the United States. Her work focused particularly on Latina immigrants in Los Angeles. Hondagneu-Sotelo spoke at length with nannies, housekeepers, and hot