The mysterious case of the missing paradigm: a review of critical information systems research 19912001
Abstract.?In this journal, Chen and Hirschheim have provided a historical analysis of positivist and interpretivist research paradigms and methodologies in the 10years following the much cited work of Orlikowski and Baroudi. In this paper, we investigate the mysterious case of the missing paradigm  that of the critical approach to information systems (IS) research. We take Chen and Hirschheims survey as our starting point and aim to fill the gap left by the absence of the critical paradigm in their analysis and make some criticisms of their method. Recent years have seen the growth of IS research that consciously adopts a critical perspective. This paper charts the development of critical IS research over the period of 19912001, adding some comments on more recent developments. We conclude by critically reflecting on the current development of critical research in the field of IS.
critical information systems research positivist and interpretivist research critical paradigm