The Meaning of Contemplation for Social Qualitative Research: Applications and Examples

This book offers an account of contemplative reflection in qualitative social research. Focusing on the experiences of the researcher - including sensory and emotional experiences - and the work of the mind in the investigative process, it considers the means by which the researcher’s basic assumptions can be analyzed and bracketed, so as to shed light on the process by which knowledge is produced. Through an exploration of the methods of meditation, auto-observation and self-reports, epoché, ＂contemplative memo-ing,＂ and the contemplative diary, the author explores the essential role of subjectivity in qualitative research, providing inspiration for more mindful research. As such, it will appeal to scholars of sociology, anthropology, and geography with interests in phenomenology, research methods, and the role of the mind in the research process.

Krzysztof T. Konecki is Professor of Sociology and Chief of the Department of Sociology of Organization and Management at the University of Lódź, Poland. He is also editor-in-chief of Qualitative Sociology Review and President of the Polish Sociological Association. He has published extensively on qualitative methods and grounded theory methodology and is the author of Advances in Contemplative Social Research.