Explores the range of issues and perspectives about the nature of knowledge and reflexive knowing, this book shows how a concern with reflexivity can inform research methodologies and practice. The text is intended for academics and researchers in communication and the sociology of knowledge.

This book provides students and researchers with clear guidance through this tricky, but fundamental aspect of qualitative, ethnographic research. The chapters provide a concise overview that clarifies, illustrates and develops a highly popular methodological principle. To some extent, the book is critical of some contemporary approaches, particularly those that portray reflexivity as an optional, virtuous extra. Drawing on a broad range of anthropological, sociological and other sources, it illuminates through example as well as by precept.

Reflexivity is a popular tool used to analyse personal, intersubjective and social processes which shape research projects. It enables researchers, particularly within the qualitative tradition, to acknowledge their role and the situated nature of their research. In the current climate, which sees the popularity of qualitative methods coupled with increased public and professional scrutiny of research, reflexivity provides a means of bolstering greater transparency and quality in research. This book recognises the considerable value of reflexivity to researchers, and provides a means to navigate this field. The book is foremost a practical guide which examines reflexivity at different stages of the research process. The editors and contributors offer candid approaches to the subject, which supply readers with diverse strategies on how to do reflexivity in practice. Features * Provides an accessible, practical guide to reflexive research processes, methods and outcomes * Encompasses both the health and social science fields * Includes contributions from international researchers The book is aimed at postgraduate and final year students of health and social sciences. Interested clinicians will also find useful insights in the text.

This comprehensive text brings together in one volume both consideration of the core methods available for undertaking qualitative data collection and analysis, and discussion of common challenges faced by all researchers in conducting qualitative research. Qualitative Organizational Research: Core Methods and Common Challenges contains 27 chapters, each written by an expert in the area. The first part of the volume considers common challenges in the design and execution of qualitative research, examining key contemporary debates in each area as well as providing practical advice for those undertaking organizational research. The second part of the volume looks at contemporary uses of core qualitative methods in organizational research, outlining each method and illustrating practical application through empirical examples. Written by internationally renowned experts in qualitative research methods, this text is an accessible and essential resource for students and researchers in the areas of organization studies, business and management research, and organizational psychology. Key features: • Coverage of all the key topics in qualitative research • Chapters written by experts drawing on their personal experiences of using methods • Introductory chapters outlining the context for qualitative research and the philosophies which underpin it Gillian Symon is Reader in Organizational Psychology at Birkbeck, University of London. Catherine Cassell is Professor of Organizational Psychology at Manchester Business School.

Praise for the First Edition: 'Reflexive Methodology is a textbook indispensable to any young researcher. It does not tell its readers how to do research. It does something much more important: It shows how research has been done in the qualitative tradition, thus encouraging the readers to make their own choices' - Barbara Czarniawska, Goteborg University 'I would go so far as to argue that this book should be on the reading list of all social scientists and philosophers with an interest in the theory and practice of research' - Prometheus Reflexive Methodology established itself as a groundbreaking success, providing researchers with an invaluable guide to a central problem in research methodology - how to put field research and interpretations in perspective, paying attention to the interpretive, political and rhetorical nature of empirical research. Now thoroughly updated, the Second Edition includes a new chapter on positivism, social constructionism and critical realism, and offers new conclusions on the applications of methodology. It also provides further illustrations and updates that build on the acclaimed and successful first edition. Reflexivity is an essential part of the research process. In this book, Mats Alvesson and Kaj Skoldberg make explicit the links between techniques used in empirical research and different research traditions, giving a theoretically informed approach to qualitative research. The authors provide balanced reviews and critiques of the major schools of grounded theory, ethnography, hermeneutics, critical theory, postmodernism and poststructuralism, discourse analysis, genealogy and feminism. This book points the way to a more open-minded, creative interaction between theoretical frameworks and empirical research. It continues to be essential reading for students and researchers across the social sciences.

Action Research in a Relational Perspective brings together an expert international academic team to present theoretical perspectives on social constructionist understandings of action research, as well as illustrative examples of action research practices within a wide range of sectors such as organizational learning, leadership development, education, mental health and health care. Building bridges between theory and practice, this book explores themes of dialogue, relationships, tensions, power and ethics in action research projects. It examines both the great potential, and the challenges and dilemmas, of action research. It aims to inspire readers with ideas and a practical "how-to" understanding of doing action research from a social constructionist standpoint. Action Research in a Relational Perspective will appeal to theoreticians and practitioners, senior researchers and PhD students, students, consultants, educators and managers who are interested in action research as an approach to organizational learning, team development, learning among professionals and citizens, or community development.

Reflexivity – the critical examination of how we see the world – is integral to good research practice. From this state-of-the-art, accessible tour of its history and contemporary relevance, readers will learn of its importance to social research and to society generally. The text introduces a host of influential thinkers and their key ideas on reflexivity, and incorporates examples from a range of disciplines and research settings. Drawing on the authors’ extensive experience of real research settings, this book: Pinpoints the importance of reflexivity in social research Demonstrates its relevance to everyday life Firmly locates the concept in the history of ideas Explores key questions about the bases of knowledge and understanding Presents key thinkers, concepts and issues in easy-to-understand learning boxes The result is a book that provides students and researchers in the social sciences with the knowledge and understanding necessary not only to examine the role of reflexivity in contemporary life, but to apply it in their own research practice.

This stimulating and challenging book provides a guide to reflexivity and reflexive practice, explaining its relevance to research in management, organisation studies and the social sciences. Rooted in the latest research, case studies and the authorÕs personal experience, the book builds a new perspective on reflexive practice involving bodily, emotional, rational and relational insights.

Adressing a range of issues and debates in the natural and social sciences, this work provides a sociological analysis of science which enables readers to understand the social mechanisms which shape scientific practice.

What are the critical gaps in thinking about reflexivity and social research? How is reflexive practice shaped by the contexts and cultures in which researchers work? How might research practice respond to twin demands of excellence and relevance in the knowledge-based economy? Thinking reflexively about the inter-relationships between social research and societal practices is all the more important in the so-called knowledge economy. Developing reflexive practices in social research is not achieved through applying a method. Where and how researchers work is fundamental in shaping the capacities and capabilities to produce research as content and context lie in a dynamic interaction. This book not only provides a history of reflexive thought, but its consequences for the practice of social research and an understanding of the contexts in which it is produced. It provides critical insights into the implications of reflexivity through a discussion of positioning, belonging and degrees of epistemic permeability in disciplines. It is also highly innovative in its suggestions for ways forward in research practice through the introduction of active intermediaries. Overall, the book offers an exciting new position on reflexive research that will generate much debate through its successful achievement of two difficult feats: providing essential reading for orientations on reflexivity and social research in the twenty-first century and making a landmark contribution to thinking and practice in the field. Social Research and Reflexivity is suitable for advanced undergraduates, postgraduates and social researchers in general across a number of disciplines including geography, social research, management and organizations; economics, urban studies, sociology, social policy, anthropology and politics, as well as science and technology studies.