Review: Heide von Felden (Ed.) (2007). Methodendiskussion in der Biographieforschung [Methodological Issues in Biographical Research: Classical and Innovative Perspectives on Qualitative Analysis]

Abstract

This article assesses the extent to which the book under review lives up to the expectations raised by its title. The focus is thus on whether the results of interpreting the five featured case studies justify the methodological effort. The interaction between the text and the reader is left out and this is problematic when it comes to interpreting the memories of the Jewish emigrant who is at the centre of three out of the five essays. Furthermore, it is clear that on a formal level (relating to the shared analytical subject) as well as in terms of content (relating to interconnectedness) that the methodological discussion falls short of the requirements of the approach taken. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0901193