The Meaning of Contemplation for Social Qualitative Research

Applications and Examples

Krzysztof T. Konecki

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2021
• Topic: Social Sciences
• eBook ISBN:
  9781000530537
• Subtopic: Social Science Research & Methodology
• Index: Social Sciences

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.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• List of illustrations
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• 1 Grounded theory methodology and phenomenological qualitative research
• 2 Towards contemplative grounded theory: constructing categories and the minding of the researcher
• 3 The sociology of the Lifeworld versus the Deathworld: how can one protect the Lifeworld?
• 4 Mindful sociology: a contemplative diary in studying the work of the mind of a sociologist in the times of coronavirus
• 5 Experiencing the space: visiting cemeteries on All Saints’ Day and an ordinary day
• Conclusions: let’s open the black box
• Subject index