Using Diaries for Social Research
About this ebook
In this accessible and lucid introductory text, Andy Alaszewski considers the analysis of diaries as a distinctive research technique in its own right. Nothing has previously covered this area in single-volume format, but the timely emergence of Using Diaries for Social Research recognizes the increased interest in and relevance of diary methodology within social research teaching.
Effectively combining theory, history and methodology, Alaszewski begins by discussing how diary keeping has developed; outlining the key features of the medium and examining the ways in which diaries have been and can be used for social research. He describes how suitable diaries and diarists can be identified by the researcher and, once found, how these diaries can be structured to generate research material. Finally, the researcher is taken through the analysis stage; examining statistical techniques, content-analysis and structure-analysis as effective methods of investigating diary texts.
This introductory student guide is an essential text for anyone involved in the area of social or historical research and for those working in the narrative tradition.
About the author
Andy Alaszewski is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Kent. He studied social science at the University of Cambridge graduating with a BA degree in social anthropology and a PhD in social and political sciences. He is an applied social scientist who has managed a research unit. He has researched individual experiences of illness and disability and the nature of risk in health and social care. He is the founding editor of the international journal, Health, Risk & Society. His publications on qualitative research methods include Using Diaries for Social Research (SAGE, 2006).
