Interpreting Interviews

Book excerpt: Researchers conducting interviews in the social sciences quickly find that there is no single best way to approach their task. This text offers a critique of traditional interviewing practices and provides a framework for thinking about issues such as trustworthiness, identity and language in a conceptual rather than technical context, allowing you to develop your own reflexive practice. The research interview is in with the brick and mortar of qualitative research, and is one of the routine methods of obtaining knowledge of individuals, groups and organizations. Through the use of eight original metaphors drawing on trends in language, subject and discourse, this cutting-edge text will encourage you to question the interpretive nature and theoretical underpinnings not only of your interview method, but of the knowledge which is conveyed through it. This text is essential reading for postgraduate students of qualitative methods and researchers looking to more clearly conceptualise their interviewing practice and explore its theoretical basis.