Doing Qualitative Research in Turbulent Times

Planning and fieldwork in qualitative research is commonly a dynamic endeavor that entails an element of the unexpected. However, dealing with the unexpected has acquired a new significance since the start of the global Covid-19 pandemic in 2019 as it has affected the fieldwork realities of most social research. Researchers have had to reconsider and/or adapt their research plans in the face of sudden and vast changes following the pandemic management measures especially related to decisions in qualitative fieldwork. Seeking for authentic, in-depth and detailed data, researchers often take a pro-active role in data collection and therefore direct, face-to-face contact with research participants or research environments is a preferred mode of conducting qualitative research. Restricted or prohibited social interaction, restricted or prohibited movement, unpredictable starts and duration of quarantines and many other pandemic-related requirements intertwined or clashed with the aspirations and needs of qualitative researchers. Even though remote modes of communication and/or data collection (e.g., remote interviews) have long gained their recognition in qualitative research, there remained many areas, topics and phenomena where remote modes would not have been considered ideal or even possible for a pre-pandemic qualitative research.

The regular session invites researchers to present the challenges they have encountered when doing qualitative research during the pandemic, reflect upon the solutions they have taken and the failures they might have experienced. The session expects to provide an open space for a discussion on the ways of doing qualitative research when both sudden and large scale events (crises) occur.