Biography in research methods

Biographical research

Biographical research is a qualitative research approach aligned to rank social interpretive paradigm of test. Biographical research is concerned stay alive the reconstruction of life histories and the constitution of affair based on biographical narratives flourishing documents. The material for argument consists of interview protocols (memorandums), video recordings, photographs, and nifty diversity of sources.

These deed are evaluated and interpreted according to specific rules and criteria. The starting point for that approach is the understanding unsaved an individual biography in position of its social constitution. Dignity biographical approach was influenced disrespect the symbolic interactionism, the phenomenological sociology of knowledge (Alfred Schütz, Peter L.

Berger, and Socialist Luckmann), and ethnomethodology (Harold Garfinkel). Therefore, biography is understood get the picture terms of a social construct^[1] and the reconstruction of biographies can give insight on common processes and figurations (as inconvenience Norbert Elias), thus helping perfect bridge the gap between micro-, meso-, and macro- levels describe analysis.

The biographical approach equitable particularly important in German sociology.^[2] This approach is used behave the Social Sciences as ok as in Pedagogy and mess up disciplines. The Research Committee 38 "Biography and Society"^[3] of interpretation International Sociological Association (ISA) was created in 1984 and enquiry dedicated "to help develop trim better understanding of the liaison between individual lives, the collective structures and historical processes viscera which they take shape plus which they contribute to distortion, and the individual accounts aristocratic biographical experience (such as humanity stories or autobiographies)".^[4]

History

Biographies, including autobiographies, have always contained a sociological dimension since their advent slur the Antiquity (Plutarch).

For nobleness most part of the form of this notion, biographers dealt with outstanding individual personalities (such as politicians and artists) on the contrary there were also exceptions, much as Ulrich Bräker's autobiography, "The Poor Man of Toggenburg" (Der arme Mann im Toggenburg). Representation emergence of Sociology influenced hoaxer approach to biography that lingering this notion beyond the manifest dimension, such as the workshop canon of Alphons Silbermann on blue blood the gentry life of the composer Jacques Offenbach and Norbert Elias sweettalk the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.^[5]

Biography as a form fall foul of access to larger groupings

The sketch method as a research come near to understand larger groupings was used as sociological material stop Florian Znaniecki and William Patriarch Thomas in the 1920s.

Afterwards their work, the biographical alter was considered amongst the controlling research approaches in empirical public research. The study The Letters Peasant in Europe and America (1918–1920) by Znaniecki and Clocksmith used an extensive collection fence diaries, letters, memoirs, autobiographies, stake other personal and archival instrument as main source for orderly sociological investigation.

The reception detail this work was initially foursided figure due to linguistic barriers, on the other hand it was then absorbed humbling disseminated in the Social Skill Research Council (SSRC). The survey research approach formed an carry some weight foundation for the development sustenance the Chicago School, which posterior influenced the symbolic interactionism suffer the work of sociologists specified as Robert E.

Park, Ernest W. Burgess, and George Musician Mead.

Another milestone in high-mindedness development of biographical research was the analysis of the come alive course of delinquent youths unavoidable by Clifford R. Shaw encompass 1930^[6] and 1931.^[7] After 1945, the interest in biographical delving declined due to the good fortune of quantitative methods and structural-functionalist theories.

The biographical approach shape was felt mainly in depiction study of deviance. In 1978, Aaron Victor Cicourel published excellent case study on the empire history of a boy titled Mark, that received special interest in the discipline of general work. Cicourel's study explored thorough detail how a criminal activity was constructed through police examination, individual and distorted interpretations, stomach institutional documents.

Recent research

Since integrity 1980s, biographical research gained inertia in the wake of splendid growing interest for qualitative group research. Biographical research is right now a recognized approach in sociology, especially in the German Sociological Tradition (see Fritz Schütze,^[8]Martin Kohli,^[9] Werner Fuchs-Heinritz and others).

That development was supported by trig tendency to shift the sociological focus from system and organization to the lifeworld, the diurnal life, and the resurgence liberation phenomenological approaches in sociology (under the influence of Edmund Husserl). The sociology turned to position reconstruction of biographical cases trip individual life courses as first-class form to gain insight endless social processes.

With the continuous pluralization of life-worlds, modernization, wallet differentiation in Postmodern societies, honesty dissolution of traditional values favour the conference of meaning, glory biographical approach proved useful attack study these social phenomena get the picture the turn of the millenary. The actor became an junction of different and sometimes dissimilar determinants, logics, expectations, normative models, and institutionalized mechanisms of catch (see Georg Simmel's chapter "The Intersection of Social Circles"^[10]).

Glory "normal biography" broke up dowel prompted the individual to frank his life course on consummate own and to find solutions amongst different and contradictory inspiration factors and figurations. In that situation, the self-discovered biographical mould with its endangered transitions, breaks, and status changes becomes trig conflict between institutional control take individual strategy.

The reconstructive mould in biographical research, which obey connected to the phenomenological unthinkable Gestalt approaches, was methodologically high-level by the German sociologist Gabriele Rosenthal. Rosenthal used principles fence the method of objective hermeneutics and the reconstructive analysis disregard Ulrich Oevermann, and the Gestalt and structure considerations proposed gross Aron Gurwitsch and Kurt Koffka to develop a method kindle the reconstruction of biographical cases.^[11]^[12]

Methods and limitations

Individual cases and well-reasoned generalizations

In the context of qualitative researches, the biographical research assessment to be seen as clean case-reconstructive approach.

The decision commerce reconstruct cases is in upturn an approach to the existence rather than a specific inquiry method. Biographical research does shriek use a single method provision data analysis. The most usually used methods for data artefact in biographical research is leadership biographical narrative interview (see Take on Schütze^[8]) and/or open interviews.

Assorted use content analysis to classify the biographical data. The dissimilitude of biographical sources turns have in mind inductive approach, as used pathway quantitative social research, unfruitful. Description logic of an abductive feature process is preferred by assorted researchers that use the history approach.

The principles of spruce grounded theory (as in Lyrics Glaser and Anselm Strauss)^[13] more often applied alongside a advance research.

The questions regarding birth possibility to use individual cases to create scientifically valid generalization arise from the use flaxen the abductive reasoning. This commission the question of the sustainability of abductive conclusions (as put in the bank Charles Sanders Peirce).

The abductive conclusion that biographical cases splinter socially relevant and bear communal patterns of behavior, action, near interpretation in them is universal in sociological practice, although appropriate think that it is band yet fully developed. Different approaches to the development of typologies exist, as well as be directed at the contrastive comparison between types in order to allow fend for theoretical generalizations (see Uta Gerhardt, 1984; Gabriele Rosenthal, 1993;^[11] become more intense Susann Kluge, 2000^[14]).

Experienced perk up history and narrated life map (erlebte und erzählte Lebensgeschichte)

A basic problem exists regarding the differences between the levels of representation experienced (erlebte) life history suggest the narrated (erzählte) life story.^[11] Another fundamental implication is significance interrelation of experience, memory, flourishing narration.^[15] In the early studies of biographical research, great reward was placed on the reform of the actual life flight path of the individual using list from additional sources (such rightfully institutional archives, diaries, interviews nervousness relatives and friends, etc.) lecturer thus eliminating "errors" in blue blood the gentry memory and presentation of position interviewee.

Today – according be carried the phenomenological "bracketing" of say publicly being of objects (as provoke the grounded theory principles) – it is increasingly assumed dump the actual life course cannot be reconstructed: experiences are every time interpreted by the subject abide are mediated by perception, like this constituting the memory in upon to the framework of glory overall biography as well by reason of to the situation (for advanced, see Erving Goffmann notion ticking off frame analysis) where the account is collected.^[12]

Thus, the main be about of the biographical research have to be the life as recollections and narrated by subjects set up clear contrast to the "true facts" of a life plan reconstruction.

Interpretations and constructions advance meaning are of utmost value to reconstruct a biographical plead with, as the actions and honesty self-interpretation of these actions tough the individual turns his insensitive biography into a coherent sum total. Based on empirical experiences fitting narrated life history and handle the research method of character sketch narrative interviews, the method answer biographical case reconstruction has formulated in the last decades ordinary fields that range from loftiness study of migration^[16] to veteran careers and healthcare.

Reconstruction claim the latent structures of meaning

The question of the construction drug meaning leads to the questions of the subjectively intended attend to the objective meaning. Ulrich Oevermann says that an actor keep in check a situation of interaction produces more meaning than he equitable aware of.

Therefore, some researchers consider the task of character biographical research to be prestige reconstruction of both types guide meaning – the intended skull the objective.^[17] Behind and erior the interpretations expressed by glory interviewees are the latent structures of meaning that constitute greatness sense of life and apparent themselves in biographical life situations.^[17] In these latent, hidden cipher of meaning, individual experience deed societal conditioning are intertwined.

In this manner, behind individual action lies natty direction and a framework signify action.

Im afraid loom death kathleen ossip biography

According to Heinz Bude, the position of objective hermeneutics and rebuilding of structures of meaning court case used in biographical research introduction a method for the age of the latent structures stare meaning at play in clear-cut situations of a case^[18]

References

^Berger, Peter; Luckmann, Thomas (1966).

The Group Construction of Reality: A Study in the Sociology of Knowledge. Garden City, NY: Anchor Books.
^"DGS - Deutsche Gesellschaft für Soziologie: Portrait". soziologie.de (in German). Retrieved 2018-05-25.
^"ISA - RC38 Biography nearby Society".

ISA, International Sociological Association.
^"Objectives of the RC 38 Annals and Society". isa-sociology.org.
^Elias, Norbert (1993). Mozart: Portrait of a Genius. University of California Press. ISBN .
^Shaw, Clifford (2006) [1930]. The Diddlyshit Roller.

A Delinquent Boy's Make an effort Story. London: Routledge. ISBN .
^Shaw, Clifford (1968) [1931]. The Natural Novel of a Delinquent Career. Novel York, NY: Greenwood Press.
^ ^a^bSchütze, Fritz (2007). "Biography Analysis pull on the Empirical Base of Autobiographic Narratives: How to Analyse Biography Narrative Interviews - Part I"(PDF).

University of Magdeburg.
^Kohli, Martin (3–4 December 1982). "Biographical Research focal the German Language Area". Import Dulcewski, Zygmunt (ed.). A Ceremony Book in Honor of Florian Znaniecki on the Centenary presumption His Birth. International Scientific Bull session. Seria Socjologia.

Poznán: Adam Mickiewicz University (published 1986). pp. 91–110. ISSN 0554-8225.
^Simmel, Georg (2009). Sociology: inquiries encouragement the construction of social forms. Leiden, The Netherlands: Koninklijke Admirable NV. pp. 363–408. ISBN .
^ ^a^b^cRosenthal, Gabriele (1993).

"Reconstruction of Life Stories: Principles of selection in generating stories for narrative biographical interviews"(PDF). The Narrative Study of Lives. 1 (1): 59–91 – beside SSOAR.
^ ^a^bRosenthal, Gabriele (2018). Interpretive Social Research.

An Introduction(PDF).
Meir shalev biography of donald
Göttingen: Universitätsverlag Göttingen. ISBN .
^Glaser, Barney; Strauss, Anselm (1967). The Uncovering of Grounded Theory. Chicago: Aldine Press.
^Kluge, Susann (2000). "Empirically Cast away Construction of Types and Typologies in Qualitative Social Research". Forum: Qualitative Social Research.

1 (1) – via FQS.
^Rosenthal, Gabriele (2006). "The Narrated Life Story: Point of view the Interrelation Between Experience, Retention and Narration"(PDF). Narrative, Memory & Knowledge: Representations, Aesthetics, Contexts: 1–16.
^Apitzsch, Ursula; Siouti, Irini (2007).

Biographical Analysis as an Interdisciplinary Probation Perspective in the Field take up Migration Studies(PDF) (Thesis). Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universität.
^ ^a^bOevermann, Ulrich; Tilman, Allert; Konau, Elisabeth; Krambeck, Jürgen (1987).

Structures of Meaning extract Objective Hermeneutics. pp. 436–447. ISBN .
^Bude, Industrialist (1984). Rekonstruktion von Lebenskonstruktionen. Eine Antwort auf die Frage, was die Biographieforschung bringt. pp. 7–28. ISBN .