Marta J. Eichsteller & Howard Davis 
Biographical Research Methods 

Biographical data provide unique insights into social life, but they also pose some significant challenges for social science researchers. This book offers a systematic, flexible guide to using biographical narrative methods in your research project.



Drawing upon the authors’ own research, as well as case studies from a range of international contexts and disciplines, the book illustrates how biographical approaches can be tailored to different research questions and environments.



This book will help you to:

·       Navigate any complexities or missteps when undertaking real-world research

·       Apply your analytical and research tools to your research question

·       Choose the right research design for your project, whether single or mixed methods

·       Ground your understanding within diverse real-world research examples. 



Clear, adaptable, and applied, this is your definitive guide to working with biographical methods.

Tabella dei contenuti

Chapter 1 Discovering biographical narrative research

Chapter 2 Theoretical approaches to biographical narratives

Chapter 3 Interview process and ethics

Chapter 4 Autobiographical Narrative Interview Method

Chapter 5 Narrative ethnography

Chapter 6 – Logical systems, qualitative comparative analysis, and quantitative coding

Chapter 7 Designing a project using biographical methods

Chapter 8 Mixed qualitative methods

Chapter 9 Mixed quantitative and qualitative methods

Chapter 10 Challenges ahead for biographical research

Circa l’autore

Howard Davis is Emeritus professor of Social Theory and Institutions at Bangor University, Wales, and a former Co-Director of the Wales Institute for Social & Economic Research & Data (WISERD). His research and writing have focused on social theories of culture; cultural formations and transitions in post-Soviet societies; and social identities at local, national and international levels. He has been responsible for a wide range of research projects on culture, language and identities, including several based on biographical methods.