Vol:.(1234567890)
European Political Science (2021) 20:560–562 https://doi.org/10.1057/s41304-020-00289-4
REVIEW
Focus on methods
Samo Kropivnik1
Published online: 27 August 2020
© European Consortium for Political Research 2020
Book reviewed:
Mundane Methods: Innovative ways to research the everyday
Helen Holmes and Sarah Marie Hall (eds.) (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2020) 287 pp., ISBN: 9781526139719
This collection focuses on research approaches, methods and techniques, devel- oped and adjusted, to study the everyday social world. From the outset, the intro- duction (chapter 1) specifies the theoretical basis and recent advances in research- ing ‘the everyday’ by clearly categorising all fifteen presented studies in the non-positivist interpretative framework. All studies are purely qualitative and pro- vide grounded understanding of ‘phenomena’ rather than statistical description and causal explanation.
Empirical studies are presented in separate chapters, produced by twenty-four co- authors from different social sciences and humanities disciplines, including, among others, sociology, anthropology, geography and history. The collection is organised in three sections, composed of five chapters each, addressing three relevant aspects of researching ‘the everyday’: (1) materials and memories, (2) senses and emotions and (3) mobilities and motion. The chapters are balanced in size and structure and are written in a recognisable, related, fluent, jargon-free and story-telling style. The opening chapters highlight research approaches, while the remaining chapters con- centrate on particular methods and techniques.
As all chapters are located within an interpretative framework, they can be read independent of each other. Every chapter provides the theoretical, ontological and epistemological fundamentals of the highlighted study, although some chapters do this more explicitly than others. Correspondingly, each chapter provides arguments for selecting, adapting and mixing methods, taking into account the relative impor- tance of the context, the benefits of ‘being there’, the need for rich data and the real- ity of the embodied experience.
Central to each chapter is a detailed description of the research approach, methods and techniques applied, though using the term ‘description’ feels like an understate- ment. Rather, each chapter stresses, in fine detail, the methodological aspects of the
* Samo Kropivnik
samo.kropivnik@fdv.uni-lj.si
1 Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
561 Focus on methods
highlighted study—how data (evidence) is collected; why a certain research design was chosen; how the design compares with other research on similar topics, in par- ticular, what was changed in advance of and during the research process to improve the study; the strengths and the weaknesses of the introduced innovations; the practical constraints and how they were overcome; how the authors observed ethical norms; and finally, how the modified design can be productively applied in future research projects.
Additionally, selected further academic readings; practical tips on what is required to duplicate the study (including specialised technical devices as well as everyday items, physical characteristics and preliminaries); and how or where to learn more about the methods and techniques to competently apply a similar design are included in the con- clusion of each chapter. In fact, the methodology of each study is presented so precisely that the presentation perfectly corresponds to the ethnographic notion of ‘thick descrip- tion’. Indeed, after reading each chapter, you feel like an insider, as if you were there with the researchers and participants during the investigation.
Such ‘thick description’ in the application of research methods and techniques is generally unmanageable in methodological textbooks that are meant to provide a more general perspective, and which leave the nuances of application to the creativity of individual scholars. In this respect, this collection contributes enormously to an under- standing of how to design and conduct field research, as well as the applicability of specific research methods, and the potential benefits of combining different research methods in mixed-methods designs.
The strong focus on methods, the variety of their modifications and the abundance of nuances in application ensures this edited volume will be of interest, not alone to those researching ‘the everyday’, but for all who use well-established qualitative meth- ods and techniques. The book encourages the reader to reconsider common research practices. For example, why confine interviews to interview rooms? How about mov- ing to places that are more stimulating? Why sit or stand-still during interviews? How about walking to relax tensions and stimulate the mind through physical activity? Why not pay more attention to emotions, senses, rhythms and smells that can jog memories or present the whole experience in a different light?
Through this collection, it is fascinating to see how a participant’s testimonial can resourcefully be enriched by contextual material, or by using various technical devices, including smart phones, voice recorders, cameras and location providers. Moreover, the collection may encourage some readers to become interested in incorporating material objects in their research, as a stimulus or as the central point, or in exploring writing or sketching as a method to create evidence.
With a multitude of research designs and ideas on offer, I highly recommend this collection to all scholars who are interested in applying qualitative methods in a crea- tive way.
Publisher’s Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
S. Kropivnik 562 Dr Samo Kropivnik teaches research methodology in the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of
Ljubljana. He contributes to interdisciplinary research by offering pragmatic research approaches and designs, including exploratory and descriptive, research methods and techniques and multivariate methods.
