Recent years have seen an increase in the use of visual methods of research across the social sciences. As researchers realize the potential of the visual, not only as a source but also as a means of generating data, a range of techniques has been developed which seek data that are different from those offered by more conventional qualitative research methods. The contributions to this collection start from the premise either that visual research allows a view of the social world which is not available by other means, or that its use offers a means of augmenting other methods, such as...

The last decade has witnessed a considerable increase in research that could be broadly described as ethnographic, qualitative or a case study among investigators working within such disciplines and areas of study as sociology, criminology and education, as well as sub-fields like industrial relations and the sociology of health and healing. Such work draws on a style of investigation traditionally used by social anthropologists and includes methods such as participant observation, unstructured interviews and documentary evidence. This range of research methods is commonly included under the...

This volume is one of a series of research annuals on qualitative research designed to take up issues and debates in this area that relate to methodology, the relationship between data collection and data analysis, and other topics.

This volume is one of a series of research annuals on qualitative research designed to take up issues and debates in this area that relate to methodology, the relationship between data collection and data analysis, the relationship between theory and method, and the implications of qualitative research for social policy and evaluation.

This new volume provides a theoretical and empirical perspective on the value, potential and contribution that qualitative research methodologies bring to the analysis of housing policy issues within an international context. This encompasses key housing issues, including: the meaning and significance of home; homelessness; resident participation; housing renewal and gentrification; socially mixed housing communities; Irish Gypsies; and post-apartheid housing policies. The book also includes discussion of specific methodological challenges and ethical dilemmas faced by researchers (and...

This volume is one of a series of research annuals on qualitative research designed to take up issues and debates in this area that relate to methodology, the relationship between data collection and data analysis, and other topics.

This volume supports the ethical negotiations of empirical researchers and enhances understanding of the complex imbrication of ethics and knowledge in contemporary social research. It deals jointly with the role of ethics in, and the effect of ethics on, social research.

This volume seeks to address the emerging relationships between qualitative research and digital data. At the present time, ubiquitous digital data is altering the foci of research, the contexts in which research takes place, and the methods and tools available for qualitative research. Alongside new challenges and opportunities, there are many ways in which established qualitative methods are being used to situate and interpret digital phenomena. This book examines and engages with the ambivalence of digitization, illuminating the diverse ways in which researchers approach, negotiate,...

Many researchers in recent years have begun to reflect on their gender identity and how this impacts on the research process and discuss how this helps build rapport with participants and creates successful or unsuccessful pieces of qualitative research. However, how does this intersect with other forms of identity, such as class, ethnicity, disability, age, sexuality? In this volume contributors explore these issues by reflecting on their own studies and research careers and address how important or unimportant gender has been in building research relationships. While the gender identity of...

This book explores recent developments in Institutional Ethnography (IE) and offers reflective accounts on how IE is being utilised and understood in social research. IE is a sociological sub-discipline developed by Dorothy E. Smith that seeks to explicate the textual mediation of people's everyday experiences in their local sites of being. As an approach, IE is growing in significance across the globe, particularly in Canada, USA, Australia and UK.
This collection includes contributions from those involved in the early development of IE alongside Smith as well as early career...