Conceptual Challenges in Biographical Research

This session brings to the fore conceptual challenges scholars encounter. Some of the questions this raises include: What kind of terms do researchers use to make sense of the experiences people talk about? In which ways do researchers' concepts differ from the terms ordinary people use to talk about their experiences, and which consequences can this have? How do researchers find terms and concepts that they consider adequate?

Further questions concern the terms and concepts that researchers use in different interdisciplinary contexts, such as in ethnography and in biographical research. Thus, how do we describe the research situation? Do we speak, for example, about rapport, relations, or research alliance, and what do we mean in each case?