Qualitative Inquiry at a Crossroads: Political, Performative, and Methodological Reflections

Qualitative Inquiry at a Crossroads critically reflects on the ever-changing dynamics of qualitative research in the contemporary moment. We live at a crossroads in which the spaces for critical civic discourse are narrowing, in which traditional political ideologies are now questioned: there is no utopian vision on the horizon, only fear and doubt. The moral and ethical foundations of democracy are under assault, global inequality is on the rise, facts are derided as ‘fake news’—an uncertain future stands at our door. Premised on the belief that our troubled times call for a critical inquiry that matters—a discourse committed to a politics of resistance, a politics of possibility—leading international contributors from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Spain, Norway, and Denmark present a range of perspectives, challenges, and opportunities for the field. In so doing, they wrestle with questions concerning the intersecting vectors of method, politics, and praxis. More specifically, contributors engage with issues ranging from indigenous and decolonizing methods, arts-based research, and intersectionality to debates over the research marketplace, accountability metrics, and emergent forays into post-qualitative inquiry.