Participant pseudonyms in qualitative family research: A sociological and temporal note
Participant pseudonyms in qualitative family research: A sociological and temporal note
This article explores the pseudonyms that UK-based family sociologists have used to refer to and discuss participants in writing up their studies from the post-war to the present day. It takes a sociological and temporal perspective on the conventions for naming research participants in qualitative studies of family life. Drawing on major monographs reporting on studies of family lives across the period, I show that over time, since the 1950s and ‘60s, (pseudo)naming practice has reflected a firm trajectory towards an intimate rather than neutral research relationship, with use of personal names able to convey a sense of closeness to the particular participant by researchers to the readers. I argue that temporal disciplinary investigatory zeitgeists underpin pseudonym conventions, and that personal names have become the normalised, unspoken standard.
pseudonyms; family studies; temporality; researcher positioning; intimacy
Edwards, Rosalind
e43912c0-f149-4457-81a9-9c4e00a4bb42
Edwards, Rosalind
e43912c0-f149-4457-81a9-9c4e00a4bb42
Edwards, Rosalind
(2019)
Participant pseudonyms in qualitative family research: A sociological and temporal note.
Families, Relationships and Societies.
(doi:10.1332/204674319X15656015117484).
Abstract
This article explores the pseudonyms that UK-based family sociologists have used to refer to and discuss participants in writing up their studies from the post-war to the present day. It takes a sociological and temporal perspective on the conventions for naming research participants in qualitative studies of family life. Drawing on major monographs reporting on studies of family lives across the period, I show that over time, since the 1950s and ‘60s, (pseudo)naming practice has reflected a firm trajectory towards an intimate rather than neutral research relationship, with use of personal names able to convey a sense of closeness to the particular participant by researchers to the readers. I argue that temporal disciplinary investigatory zeitgeists underpin pseudonym conventions, and that personal names have become the normalised, unspoken standard.
Text
2019 04 15 FRS-D-18-00079_R2
- Accepted Manuscript
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 15 April 2019
e-pub ahead of print date: 26 August 2019
Keywords:
pseudonyms; family studies; temporality; researcher positioning; intimacy
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 430244
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/430244
ISSN: 2046-7435
PURE UUID: e7893c44-31f4-441d-9f95-3df96bb7aad6
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Date deposited: 23 Apr 2019 16:30
Last modified: 06 Jun 2024 04:06
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