– CALL FOR ABSTRACTS –
The Qualitative Methods Forum in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of
Bath, in association with the South West Qualitative Research Network, is pleased to announce a call
for papers for the Third Annual South West Qualitative Research Symposium entitled:
From the Established to the Novel:
The Possibilities of Qualitative Research
Qualitative research is anchored in what are now long-established methods and traditions that
emerged partly in reaction to the hegemony of realist ontologies and positivist epistemologies that
sought objective truth. Yet, qualitative research is also a hive of innovation in which researchers push
the boundaries of qualitative methods by seeking novel ways to examine how individuals, groups,
and communities experience the world.
Aiming not to cast a divide between long-held ‘traditions’ in qualitative research and recent
methodological innovations, this year’s Symposium seeks to provide a space for researchers to:
§ Reflect on the interactions and trajectories of established and novel qualitative methodologies
in their own work;
§ Trouble the distinction between the established and the novel; and
§ Consider the future possibilities within qualitative inquiry for using established and novel
approaches for the benefit of the societies in which we live.
We welcome theoretically inspired, methodologically oriented, and/or empirically grounded studies
that reflect on the Symposium Themes.
THEMES
Established Qualitative Methods
This theme focuses on the methods or practices of qualitative research that might be considered more
established (e.g. observation, interviews, etc.) and their respective trajectories, and related
underpinning dimensions (e.g. paradigmatic assumptions, theoretical orientation, etc.).
What methods and theories are well established in qualitative research? From which disciplines have
they emerged and how transferable are they to other disciplines? How have some data collection and
analytical techniques become more established and accepted than others? What role do legitimacy,
rigor, validity, etc. play in this process of establishment?
Novelty in Qualitative Inquiry
This theme aims to unpack novel qualitative techniques in dialogue with changing societal and
academic cultures and contexts.
Where is novelty located in contemporary qualitative research – for example, in data sources and
collection methods or more fundamental analytical tools and theoretical underpinnings? What sparks
or drives novelty in qualitative research? For example, how do changes in society drive analytical and
theoretical innovation and in what way do shifting epistemological and ontological perspectives (e.g.
derived from inter-disciplinarity, etc.) lead to methodological novelty? What challenges arise with use
of novel qualitative methods for funding bodies, policy settings, or legitimacy in general?
Intersections of Novel and Established Methods
This theme aims to explore, better understand, and articulate the relationship between more
established and novel forms of qualitative inquiry.
In what ways are the more recent, novel, or innovative methodological practices anchored to, or
extensions of, more established methods? What strengths or commonalities are shared across early
qualitative research and more recent innovations? What do novel approaches offer that more
established practices do not? How does the novel become the established within and beyond
academia? Do novel approaches render more established methods obsolete? In what ways might
established and more novel methods separately or collaboratively address contemporary challenges
in both society (e.g. inequality, conflict, etc.) and qualitative research practice (e.g. ethics, access,
legitimacy, etc.)?
PRACTICALITIES
The Symposium will take place at the University of Bath on Wednesday 1 February 2017. Website:
http://www.bath.ac.uk/health/events/news_0046.html. We invite abstracts across a wide range of
issues related to Qualitative Research Methods but especially those related to the Themes.
Contributions from across all academic disciplines are welcome.
The Symposium is a free one-day event, sponsored by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
at the University of Bath in conjunction with the 50th Anniversary of the University of Bath. Lunch
will be provided. Presenters’ travel expenses will also be reimbursed (preferably transport only except
where presenters are traveling long distances).
KEY DATES
Submission Deadline: Tuesday 1 November 2016
Please submit abstracts by email to Dr. Bryan Clift [email protected]. Abstracts should be prepared
in a word processing document and include the following within the document:
• Paper title
• Affiliated university or employer and contact information
• Symposium theme(s) to which paper relates
• Abstract of no more than 350 words, which should clearly summarize the topic of research.
Abstracts may include the following elements: Introduction; Theory (where relevant);
Methods; and Findings and Conclusions.
Please also contact Bryan with any queries about the event, abstract submission process, or
suggestions for papers not directly addressed by the Symposium Themes.
Author Notification: Friday 2 December 2016
Authors will be notified by email if their papers have been accepted or not for inclusion in the
Symposium and will be asked to prepare papers of 15 to 20 minute duration.
ORGANISERS
Dr. Bryan C. Clift ([email protected]), Dr. Jenny Hatchard ([email protected]), Dr. Konstantina
Vasileiou ([email protected]), Dr. Alex Masardo ([email protected]), and Dr. Saltanat
Rasulova ([email protected])
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