Biography historical research methodology

Biographical research is a qualitative research approach aligned to the social interpretive paradigm of research.

Biographical research is concerned with the reconstruction of life histories and the constitution of meaning based on biographical narratives and documents. The material for analysis consists of interview protocols (memorandums), video recordings, photographs, and a diversity of sources.

These documents are evaluated and interpreted according to specific rules and criteria.

Biography historical research methodology

The starting point for this approach is the understanding of an individual biography in terms of its social constitution. The biographical approach was influenced by the symbolic interactionism, the phenomenological sociology of knowledge (Alfred Schütz, Peter L.

Berger, and Thomas Luckmann), and ethnomethodology (Harold Garfinkel). Therefore, biography is understood in terms of a social construct^[1] and the reconstruction of biographies can give insight on social