Qualitative Research—Unity and Diversity

The paper argues that while qualitative research has been flourishing in many fields of the social sciences, it has become unhelpfully fragmented and incoherent. Equally, there have developed a number of specialist domains of qualitative research that are too often treated in isolation. It is argued...

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Main Author: Paul Atkinson
Format: Article
Language:deu
Published: FQS 2005-09-01
Series:Forum: Qualitative Social Research
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/4
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author Paul Atkinson
author_facet Paul Atkinson
author_sort Paul Atkinson
collection DOAJ
description The paper argues that while qualitative research has been flourishing in many fields of the social sciences, it has become unhelpfully fragmented and incoherent. Equally, there have developed a number of specialist domains of qualitative research that are too often treated in isolation. It is argued that we need to return to some fundamental principles of ethnographic inquiry that recognise the multiple modalities of social action and cultural representation, while locating them within a wider ethnographic framework. We need to recognise the intrinsic, indigenous principles of order and organisation that permeate social forms—discursive, visual, and material. Such formal ethnography provides a way of renewing classic ideas such as "grounded theory", "triangulation" and "thick description". URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0503261
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spelling doaj.art-9755350218454967b7cf938a7c1e96a52022-12-21T18:27:45ZdeuFQSForum: Qualitative Social Research1438-56272005-09-01633Qualitative Research—Unity and DiversityPaul Atkinson0Cardiff UniversityThe paper argues that while qualitative research has been flourishing in many fields of the social sciences, it has become unhelpfully fragmented and incoherent. Equally, there have developed a number of specialist domains of qualitative research that are too often treated in isolation. It is argued that we need to return to some fundamental principles of ethnographic inquiry that recognise the multiple modalities of social action and cultural representation, while locating them within a wider ethnographic framework. We need to recognise the intrinsic, indigenous principles of order and organisation that permeate social forms—discursive, visual, and material. Such formal ethnography provides a way of renewing classic ideas such as "grounded theory", "triangulation" and "thick description". URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0503261http://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/4ethnographythick descriptiontriangulationgrounded theorydiscoursevisual ethnographymaterial culture
spellingShingle Paul Atkinson
Qualitative Research—Unity and Diversity
Forum: Qualitative Social Research
ethnography
thick description
triangulation
grounded theory
discourse
visual ethnography
material culture
title Qualitative Research—Unity and Diversity
title_full Qualitative Research—Unity and Diversity
title_fullStr Qualitative Research—Unity and Diversity
title_full_unstemmed Qualitative Research—Unity and Diversity
title_short Qualitative Research—Unity and Diversity
title_sort qualitative research unity and diversity
topic ethnography
thick description
triangulation
grounded theory
discourse
visual ethnography
material culture
url http://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/4
work_keys_str_mv AT paulatkinson qualitativeresearchunityanddiversity