Handbook of Interpretive Research Methods in the Social Sciences

This comprehensive Handbook provides interdisciplinary coverage of qualitative inquiry and interpretative research methods in the social sciences. Margarethe Kusenbach and Michaela Pfadenhauer adopt an innovative approach by connecting research practice with conceptual principles and strong theoretical grounding. Interpretivism is one of the major theoretical frameworks in contemporary social science. In this Handbook, leading experts discuss a range of interpretive research methods and issues, emphasizing the importance of theorizing and self-reflection in qualitative research. Featuring novel and diverse voices in methodological discourse, the Handbook fosters dialogue and showcases various strands, styles, and techniques of interpretive inquiry. The contributing authors examine the history and contexts of interpretive research in various social science disciplines, such as education, criminology, public health, and gender studies. Chapters also explore challenges facing interpretive researchers, such as ethics, writing, and new media and technologies. Moreover, the Handbook portrays the notable contributions of seven outstanding interpretive scholars from different regions. The Handbook of Interpretive Research Methods in the Social Sciences is a valuable resource for students and academics across the social sciences. It is of particular interest to educators in sociology, science and technology studies, communication, and other fields where researchers are looking for innovative ideas to expand their knowledge base and invigorate their teaching.

Table of Contents:
Contents 1 Interpretive encounters: an introduction to the handbook 1 Margarethe Kusenbach and Michaela Pfadenhauer PART I CONTEXTS 2 Hidden figures? The role of women in early interpretive research in the United States and the German Empire 21 Ursula Offenberger and Marion Keller 3 Symbolic interactionism as resistance to positivism: an interpretive theory of understanding meaning and meaning-making 36 Foroogh Mohammadi and Lisa-Jo K. van den Scott PART II FIELDS 4 The purpose and place of interpretive approaches in education research 54 Sofia Marques da Silva 5 Looking (back) to the future of interpretive criminology 72 Julien Grayer andStacey Hannem 6 Taking stock of interpretive scholarship in evidence-based public health 89 Lisa M. PfadenhauerandMichaela Coenen 7 Interpreting disability: epistemological insights and methodological strategies 107 Jacqueline Low 8 How real are social constructions? Interpretive scholarship in disaster studies 123 Margarethe Kusenbach and Gabriela Christmann 9 Understanding interpretive research in communication 137 Jillian A. Tullis 10 Interpretation as intervention in science and technology studies: revisiting methods as epistemic practices 152 Fredy Mora-Gámez, Andrea Schikowitz, and Sarah R. Davies 11 Women’s, gender, and feminist studies in transnational perspective: what we can and cannot learn when using an interpretive lens 165 Olga Plakhotnik 12 What can interpretive research methods do for trans studies? Connecting subjectivity and materiality 181 Hayden J. Fulton and S.L. Crawley PART III METHODS 13 Interpreting and theorizing research interviews 198 Kathryn Roulston and Melissa Freeman 14 Sociological biographical research in the interpretive tradition 210 Miriam Schäfer and Johannes Becker 15 Cultural narrative analysis as an interpretive research method 225 Donileen R. Loseke and Carley Geiss 16 Hermeneutics as a method of interpretation: line by line to the reconstruction of meaning 241 Cornelia Reiter and Karin Sardadvar 17 How interpretive is grounded theory? 258 Elisabeth Scheibelhofer 18 Phenomenology as inspiration in interpretive ethnographic research 271 Margarethe Kusenbach and Dirk vom Lehn 19 Interpretive research with vignettes: an innovative method for situational analysis 288 Katharina Miko-Schefzig 20 Artifact analysis as an interpretive method 307 Ulrike Froschauer and Manfred Lueger 21 From qualitative visual analysis to social science films 322 Katharina Miko-Schefzig and Dennis Jancsary 22 Whose interpretations matter? Participatory research approaches 342 Hella von Unger 23 Autoethnography as an interpretive method: reconnecting selves and society 358 Carol Rambo and Brittany Presson 24 Feeling knowing: the nature and purpose of arts-based research methods 374 Sophie Tamas PART IV ISSUES 25 The influence of new media technologies on contemporary interpretive research 388 Julie B. Wiest, Laura Robinson, and Katia Moles 26 Interpretive research methods and the issue of intersubjectivity in interactionism and affect theory 406 Natalia Ruiz-Junco and Javiera Garcia-Meneses 27 Interpretive research from a multispecies perspective 422 Leslie Irvine 28 What makes a great ethnography? Writing and the issue of quality in interpretive research 436 Michaela Pfadenhauer and Paul Eisewicht 29 Doing it right? Interpretive research in an era of research ethics review 454 Deborah K. van den Hoonaard PART V EXEMPLARS 30 Dorothy Smith: making the ontological shift 469 Órla Meadhbh Murray 31 Reconstructive social research in the interpretive tradition: an interview with Monika Wohlrab-Sahr 485 Monika Wohlrab-Sahr, Michaela Pfadenhauer, andSilke Steets 32 Reflections on urban ethnography: an interview with Elijah Anderson 498 Elijah Anderson, Patrice D. Collins, Vida Bajc, and Margarethe Kusenbach 33 Interpreting society from a spatial perspective: Martina Löw’s groundbreaking sociology of space 509 Séverine Marguin and Vivien Sommer 34 Interpretation, emotions, and intersectionality: exploring and extending Arlie Hochschild’s legacy 524 Anna Durnová and Julia Schmid 35 From the interpretation of culture to the culture of interpretation: Hans- Georg Soeffner’s art of sociological hermeneutics 535 Thea D. Boldt 36 Living autoethnography with Carolyn Ellis: honoring care and compassion in the academy 548 Carolyn Ellis, S. L. Crawley, and Margarethe Kusenbach

About the Author :
Edited by Margarethe Kusenbach, Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, University of South Florida, USA and Michaela Pfadenhauer, Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology, Dean of Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Vienna, Austria