A tale of two analyses: the use of archived qualitative data

Jo Haynes, Demelza Jones

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

Abstract

This article provides a unique contribution to the debates about archived qualitative data by drawing on two uses of the same data - British Migrants in Spain: the Extent and Nature of Social Integration, 2003-2005 - by Jones (2009) and Oliver and O'Reilly (2010), both of which utilise Bourdieu's concepts analytically and produce broadly similar findings. We argue that whilst the insights and experiences of those researchers directly involved in data collection are important resources for developing contextual knowledge used in data analysis, other kinds of critical distance can also facilitate credible data use. We therefore challenge the assumption that the idiosyncratic relationship between context, reflexivity and interpretation limits the future use of data. Moreover, regardless of the complex genealogy of the data itself, given the number of contingencies shaping the qualitative research process and thus the potential for partial or inaccurate interpretation, contextual familiarity need not be privileged over other aspects of qualitative praxis such as sustained theoretical insight, sociological imagination and methodological rigour. © Sociological Research Online, 1996-2012.
Original languageEnglish
JournalSociological research online
Volume17
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 31 May 2012

Fingerprint

interpretation
social integration
reflexivity
research process
social research
genealogy
contingency
qualitative research
data analysis
migrant
Spain
resources
experience
imagination

Keywords

  • secondary analysis
  • research methodology
  • class
  • British migration
  • Bourdieu

Cite this

Haynes, Jo ; Jones, Demelza. / A tale of two analyses: the use of archived qualitative data. In: Sociological research online. 2012 ; Vol. 17, No. 2.
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Haynes, J & Jones, D 2012, 'A tale of two analyses: the use of archived qualitative data', Sociological research online, vol. 17, no. 2. https://doi.org/10.5153/sro.2523

A tale of two analyses: the use of archived qualitative data. / Haynes, Jo; Jones, Demelza.

In: Sociological research online, Vol. 17, No. 2, 31.05.2012.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

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Haynes J, Jones D. A tale of two analyses: the use of archived qualitative data. Sociological research online. 2012 May 31;17(2). https://doi.org/10.5153/sro.2523

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