1st Edition

Qualitative Inquiry for Social Justice

By Tim Huffman Copyright 2024
392 Pages 57 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

392 Pages 57 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

392 Pages 57 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

This textbook introduces students, researchers, and activists to the practice of qualitative inquiry that contributes to fairness, freedom, and flourishing in community life. The book takes a cyclical approach to research and action by using the metaphor of the four seasons (spring, summer, autumn, and winter) and the day cycle (dawn, day, dusk, and dark) to organize the content and activities.... Read more

Acknowledgements

1. Introduction

What Is This Book?    

Qualitative Inquiry      

What is Qualitative Inquiry?    

Elements of a Qualitative Project           

Combining the Benefits of Qualitative Inquiry      

Social Justice   

Conditions of a Just Society    

Being Responsive to Injustice 

Scope  

Combining the Multiple Accounts of Justice         

Qualitative Inquiry for Social Justice   

Participation, Action, Community           

Data, Democracy, and Design

Qualitative Justice       

Cycles of Seasons and Days    

The Cycle of Seasons  

Seasonal Layout of the Book  

The Day Cycle

At the End of the Day, What Will You Create?    

Winter Ends

Section 1: Spring

2. Planning

Basics of a Research Project    

Planning the Framework         

Inspirations     

Questions, Problems, and Assets           

Grounded, Theory-Driven, Or Iterative Approach      

Narrowing Down       

Creating Partnerships and Asking Permission      

Planning the Data       

Types of Data 

Considering Data Foci

Estimating How Much Data   

Planning the Analysis  

Planning the Outcomes          

Representations           

Other Considerations  

Roles and Authorship on a Team           

Institutional Support and Requirements  

Planning to be Flexible

Reading Scholarly Literature   

Why to Read   

When to Read 

What to Read  

How to Read  

How to Take Notes    

Designing Activist Efforts      

Universals of Community Planning           

Communities Initiating Inquiry           

Planning Day Cycle     

What Will You Create?

3. Commitments

Elements of Scholarly Commitments  

Epistemology  

Ontology         

Axiology         

Methodology   

Specific Scholarly Commitments         

Community/Participatory       

Materialism     

Social Constructionism           

Experience-Centered   

Action-Centered          

Indigenous and Decolonial     

Critical

Commitment Mash-Ups         

Elements of Activist Commitments    

Issues  

Sectors

Communicative Strategy         

Scope  

Institutional Trajectories         

Specific Activist Commitments           

Direct Action  

Solidarity/Personalist  

Community Development       

Abolition         

Service

Liberation       

Social Entrepreneurship          

Labor  

Other Activist Approaches     

Commitments Day Cycle        

What Will You Create?

4. Standards

Academic Ethical Standards    

Ethical Principles        

Situated Ethics

Relational Ethics         

Procedural Ethics       

Discipline-Specific Standards  

Pulling it All Together 

Qualitative Research Standards           

Worthy Topic 

Rich Rigor      

Sincerity          

Credibility       

Resonance       

Significant Contribution          

Meaningful Coherence

Speaking Plainly about Academic Standards           

Activist Ethical Standards       

Relationships   

Partnerships    

Community Rights      

Power 

Decolonial      

Antiracist        

Trauma-Informed Participation           

Standards of Effective Activism          

Fairness          

Freedom         

Fellowship      

Flourishing      

Pulling the Four Fs Together  

Thinking about Activist Success Concretely       

Standards Day Cycle   

What Will You Create?

Spring Ends

Section 2: Summer

5. Fieldwork

What Is Fieldwork?     

Field   

Fieldwork        

Roles/Activities          

Observation    

Reflexivity       

Writing

Approaches to Fieldnotes and Journals           

Record

Narrate

Explore           

Express           

Analyze           

Blending the Five Fieldnote Approaches     

Other Considerations  

Thinking Reflexively About Fieldnotes       

Solo vs. Collaborative Fieldnotes           

Activism in the Field   

What Is My Activist Role?      

Activist Goals in the Field       

Staying Safe in the Field          

Critically Evaluating Participation           

Fieldwork Day Cycle   

What Will You Create?

Should I Include Fieldwork in My Research?        

6. Interviews

Designing Qualitative Interviews        

Individual vs. Focus Group Interviews       

Designers and Coordinators    

Interviewers/Facilitators         

Participants     

Setting 

Recording       

Cultural Context         

Permissions    

Interview Structure     

Interview Relationships           

Teaching/Learning      

Mutual Collaboration  

Confrontation 

Interview Content       

Question-Based Conversations           

Prompt- and Activity-Based Conversations 

Interview Skills

Listening         

Facilitation Skills         

Activist Conversations

Institutional Change    

Motivational Interviewing       

Working Groups        

Community Conversations      

Healing/Growth Groups        

Transformational Conversations           

Example: Radical Imagination

Opening Material        

Build!  

Debrief           

Document      

Relevance in Activist Context 

Interview Day Cycle    

What Will You Create?

Should I Include Interviews in My Research?        

7. Media

Types of Media           

Social Media and News Media

Organizational Texts/Media   

Visual Media   

Academic Literature    

A Splendid Array of Other Media           

The Role of Media in a Project

Sole Data Type

One Data Type Among Others           

Media as Background  

Part of Another Data Type     

Examples of Integration and Exploration     

Curating Media Data   

Explore and Consider (Dawn)

Engage and Select (Day)         

Organize and Evaluate (Dusk)

Store, Secure, and Preserve (Dark)           

Producing Media Data

Researcher Produced  

Participant Produced  

Ethical Considerations

            Overt vs. Covert

Exposure vs. Protection 

Proprietary vs. Open Use

Engaging Media as an Activist

Transformative Texts 

Social Media   

Sector-Focused Media

Choosing What Media to Engage           

Media Day Cycle         

What Will You Create?

Summer Ends

Section 3: Autumn

8. Themes

Qualitative Themes     

Themes           

Data    

Close Reading 

Codes/Tags    

Memoing        

Thematic Summary     

Preparing Data

Organizing      

Transcribing    

Evaluating Data          

Making an Analytic Plan         

Exploring Possible Themes    

Crafting Themes from Data    

Crafting Themes From Theories           

Crafting Themes Iteratively     

Solidifying Themes     

Defining Themes        

Coding Comprehensively        

Assessing Themes       

Modifying Themes      

Other Considerations  

Using Crafts and Computers in Thematic Analysis       

Thinking Reflexively About Analysis           

Solo vs. Collaborative Analysis

Analyzing Themes and Activism         

Summative Thinking   

Identifying Trends      

Radical Analysis          

Analyzing Policy         

Theme Day Cycle       

            What Will You Make? 

Should I Perform a Thematic Analysis?         

9. Claims

Qualitative Claims       

Purpose of a Claim     

Focus of a Claim         

Structure of a Claim    

Claims Speak to Other Ideas   

Degrees of Confidence

Making Claims

Inductive Reasoning   

Abductive Reasoning  

Deductive Reasoning  

Claims About Themes

Flip the Script 

Participatory Claim Making     

Deepening Claims       

Negative Case Analysis

Carrying Claims          

Participant Feedback   

Situating Claims          

Conceptual Cocktail Party       

Jeopardy Research Questions  

An Extended Example

Activist Claim Making 

Purpose          

Resonance       

Persuasion      

Claim Making Day Cycle         

            What Will You Create?

Should I Use Claim-Making Techniques?    

10. Models        

Qualitative Models      

What Is a Qualitative Model?  

Data Visualization       

Diagrams        

Artistic Interpretation 

Exploratory Modeling 

Arts and Crafts

Digital Tools   

Artistic Synthesis         

Exploring Causality     

Exploring Discourse   

Solidifying Models      

Building a Prototype   

Evaluate the Model     

Finalizing the Model   

Theorizing Through Modeling

Activist Modeling        

Maps   

Program Models         

Portrait-Based Design 

Visionary Fiction         

Models Day Cycle       

What Will You Create?

Autumn Ends

Section 4: Winter

11. Writing 

Writing Strategy          

Thinking about Audience        

Central Concept          

Arrangement/Format 

Social Scientific Format          

Creative Nonfiction Format   

Written Content          

Main Argument          

Rationale         

Context/Review of Literature 

Methodologies

Findings/Results         

Implications/Significance        

Writing Process          

Questions That Guide Approach           

The Through Line      

Revision          

Editing

Following the Academic Style Format

Solo vs. Collaborative Writing 

Activist Writing           

Activist Audiences      

Rhetorical Strategies for Activist Writing

Activist Language        

Ethics of Writing        

Writing Day Cycle       

What Will You Create?

Should I Write?           

12. Presentations

Academic Presentations          

Strategy           

Concept          

Arrangement   

Content           

Delivery          

Types of Presentation 

Oral Presentation        

Embodied Presentation           

Visual Presentation     

Artistic Presentation    

Digital Presentation     

Presenting as an Activist         

Strategy           

Concept          

Arrangement   

Content           

Delivery          

Activist Storytelling     

Presentations Day Cycle          

What Will You Create?

13. Rest 

Rest in Inquiry

Getting It Wrong        

Strategies for Resting  

Summative Thinking   

Community Care        

Restorative Practice    

Fucking Off    

Reconnecting from Separation

Setting Boundaries      

Abandoning a Project 

Sustaining Scholarly Trajectories         

Break It Up     

Scholarly Trajectories and Bodies of Work  

Standards of Productivity and Impact

Resting as an Activist  

Strategies for Activist Rest      

Healing           

Strategizing for the Long Term           

Rest Day Cycle

What Will You Create?

Winter Ends

Index

Biography

Tim Huffman is an Associate Professor in communication studies at Saint Louis University, USA.

“If you want to create justice and action with your qualitative inquiry, you have found your perfect book! In this engaging field guide, Timothy Huffman provides solid tips, conceptual development, and engaging examples for conducting activist qualitative research. This practical research toolkit is a gift to all those committed to liberation, transformation, and advocacy.”

Sarah Tracy, Ph.D., Director of the Hugh Downs School of Communication, Arizona State University, USA

“Research in higher education has long been at a standstill. Our students want and need more tools to conduct the work they dream of—the kind of life-changing research that will change the world. What Dr. Huffman offers in this text is a portal to the future. He seamlessly carries us through the seasons of change, growth, and knowledge creation from a place of love, compassion, and a deep commitment to humanity's survival and future thriving.”

Amber Johnson, Ph.D., Executive Director of The Institute for Healing Justice and Equity, Founding Director of the Justice Fleet

“Qualitative Inquiry for Social Justice outlines a vision of qualitative research that is both exacting and responsive to the emotionality of the human condition that is so urgent in our times. Tim Huffman systematically offers qualitative research as an activist affect; with a criticality of intention to transform self and society with the intentionality of research in academic environs and the boots-to-the-streets drive of activist intervention, to transform society in a performative act of justice for all.”

Bryant Keith Alexander, PhD, Dean of the College of Communication and Fine Arts, Loyola Marymount University, USA

“As a qualitative scholar with a research focus on social justice, I have never read a text that marries the two… until now. Tim’s emphasis on the four seasons of the research process adds a focus that no other qualitative texts have. Starting from planning a social justice centered research design in the Spring all the way to resting in the Winter, this text is perfect for developing a holistic researcher with a larger purpose to produce meaningful research for both academia and the community.”

Jasmine T. Austin, Ph.D., Texas State University, USA

“Beginning with its title—Qualitative Inquiry for Social Justice— Tim's book makes visible ways to bring intelligence and strategy to collective planning.  He shares strategies for developing visual models for decision processes and how to facilitated the use of data and inquiry to change practices and policies that lead to outcomes. This book provides tangible tools and tactics that invite others to join him in this crossroads of action and evidence.”

Judy Perlman, Consultant 

“Qualitative inquiry is critical to better understanding the lived experiences of those living with identities that have been historically marginalized and dehumanized. The various methods presented, the careful consideration of context, and thoughtful explanation of implementation illustrate what a process that creates, supports, and sustains social justice! In a time of deep identity divisions and polarization scholars, and our students, will benefit from this thorough examination of practical, applied research methods that not only reveal what is needed to bridge understanding across identity differences but also helps guide us to engage in the collective action of activism that leads to transformation.”

Karla Scott, Ph.D., Saint Louis University, USA