Unsettling Definitions of Qualitative Research

Most qualitative research relies on the researcher’s close engagement with the data that they collect and analyze. While acknowledging this pattern, this article cautions against any narrow definition of qualitative research. Efforts to shore up or clarify collective definitions of “qualitative research” may conflict with the productive unsettling of extant categories and definitions generated by getting close to data. We ought to embrace collective uncertainty and debate about how to define qualitative research as one way toward critical conversations about the boundaries between different methods, as well as about the utility of the research categories on which we rely.