Conducting life history research

Author / Creator

Mazzetti, Angela, author

Available as

Online

Summary

In this case study, I reflect on my experience of adopting life history interviews as part of a wider ethnographic study undertaken in the transitional setting of post-conflict Northern Ireland. I ...

In this case study, I reflect on my experience of adopting life history interviews as part of a wider ethnographic study undertaken in the transitional setting of post-conflict Northern Ireland. I set out why a life history approach is ideally suited to studies that aim to contextualize individual perceptions of the past within wider cultural, social, and political discourses. I explore some of the methodological challenges related to conducting life history interviews and present the rationale for complementing individual participants' life history interviews with additional techniques to enhance data triangulation. Furthermore, I debate the impact of researcher positionality on the research process, specifically when the researcher is investigating a topic or context that has personal significance. I posit that the methodological insights discussed in this case study are pertinent to postgraduate researchers considering undertaking life history research.

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