“You Bump Into Walls Until You Find the Door!” Philosophical Hermeneutics and Community-Based Research

• In Event: Roundtable Session 75
  In Roundtable Session: Phenomenology, Hermeneutics, and Critical Theories in Qualitative Research

Abstract

This author describes a conversation-centered philosophical hermeneutic approach to qualitative research to create more reciprocal practices for those involved with community-based research, the “scholarship of engagement” and others involved with grassroots communities. Adapted for use with community partners and co-researchers with whom she has been in relationship for a number of years, the author describes her approach to philosophically-informed qualitative research where she integrates aspects of Hans-Georg Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics to develop a conversation-based fieldwork practice. She outlines key features of this process, defines how it is distinguished from other forms of hermeneutic and qualitative inquiry, describes the benefits and limitations of this approach, and considers possibilities for further study.

Author

• Marie Gina Sandy, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee