hh. Theme tiging ¢ Fergani On whiter ality me Qu SECOND EDITION INTERVIEWS Learning the Craft of Qualitative Research Interviewing Steinar Kvale University of Aarts Svend Brinkmann University of Aarhus @SAGE Los Angels « London « New Deli « Singenore bCopyright © 2009 by SAGE Publications, All rights reserved. No put ofthis book may be reproduced or willed in any form ‘by any means, elecuonic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording fb any information storage andrea system, wit permission in weing from he publisher. For information ‘SAGE Publications, Inc. ‘SAGE Publications India Pvt. Lid. 2455 Teller Rosd B M1 Mohan Cooperative ‘Thousand Oaks, California 91320 Indusval Ares E-mail: order@sagepub.com ‘Mathura Road, New Delhi 10 044 India ‘SAGE Publications Li, ‘SAGE Publications Asia-Pacific 1 Oliver's Yard Pre Li, 155 City Road 233 Pekin Stet 02-01 London ECIY 1SP Par Bast Square United Kingdom Singapore 048763, Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publcaion Data Kale, Steinar, 1938-2008 Tne Views: earning te eat of qualitative research imerviewing/ Steinar Kvale, Sven Brinkmann —2n ed. pem. Includes bibliographical references and inde, ISBN 978-0-7619-2541-5 (loth) ISBN 978-0-7619-2542-2 (pbk) 1. Inerviewing in sociology. 2. Interviewing. 3. Sociology —Reserch— Methodology. 4 Qualitative research. I. Brinkmann, Svend. Il Title. HIM48.K9 2009 301.072'3—de22 2008003528, ‘Tis book is printed on aci-ree pape. 7 0 210987654321 ‘eguistions Edtor: — Vieki Knight ‘Associate Edtor: Sean Connelly Edltorial Atsistant: Lauren Habib Production Editor: Ase Vinding Copy Editor: Jamie Robinson Typeset: (C&M Digials La, Proofreader: len Brink Indexer: Jeanne R. Busemeyer Cover Designer: (Gail Buschman ‘Marketing Manager: Stephanie Adams CONTENTS Preface Introduction 1. Introduction to Interview Research, ‘Conversation as Research ‘Three Interview Sequences Interview Research in History and in the Social Sciences ‘The Interview Society “Methodological and Ethical Issues in Research Interviewing, (Overview of the Book Interviewing as a Craft Interviewing as Social Production of Knowledge Interviewing as a Social Practice art I: Conceptualizing the Research Interview art I: Seven Stages of Research Interviewing ‘Concluding Perspectives PART I: Conceptualizing the Research Interview 2, Research Interviews, Philosophical Dialogues, ‘and Therapeutic Interviews ‘A Qualitative Research Interview on Learning Phenomenology and the Mode of Understanding in ‘4 Qualitative Research Interview ower Asymmetry in Qualitative Research Interviews Philosophical Dialogues and Research Interviews ‘Therapeutic Interviews and Research Interviews zSIX» THEMATIZING AND DESIGNING AN INTERVIEW STUDY Leterme rener interview study. We first resent an aecout ofthe potential logistical and emotional harships ofan interview journey, showing how things can 20 wrong when the overall design of am interviw project s not taken into account. Then an idealized sevn-stage ‘oueforan inteview ings oatined. Thereafter we reat mor filly the ren- teviow stages of thematizing, or conceptualizing, and designing an interview oj. We postulate hat the beter the preparation fran interview, the higher the quality of the knowledge produced in the interview interaction andthe more the pstnerview teament ofthe interviews willbe facilitated. We conclude the chapter by addressing the issue of mined methods in interview research ‘SEVEN STAGES OF AN INTERVIEW INQUIRY The open structure of research interviewing is an asset as well as a problem. ‘eld in interview investigations, No standard procedures or rules exist for con- ducting a research interview ot an entre interview investigation. There are, however, standard choices of approaches and techniques atthe different stages ‘of an interview investigation, and this chapter describes some of the choices to bbe made. The aim is to enable the interview researcher to make thoughtful decisions about method, based on knowledge of the topic of the study the ”