Biographical Life Course Research: Studying the Biography-History Dynamic

✍ Scribed by Ann Nilsen

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Year: 2023
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 186
• Edition: 1st ed. 2023
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This open access book explores an approach that connects individual and societal processes throughout history and shifting trends in sociological perspectives, influenced by C. Wright Mills’ theories of time and temporality. It traces its origins from American pragmatist thought and Chicago qualitative sociology in the early 20th century to the revival of biographical research in European and American sociology during the 1970s. The book shows empirical studies from this vibrant research approach can bridge methodological gaps between qualitative and quantitative biographical studies, applicable to various topics like class, gender, ethnicity, and intergenerational dimensions.

✦ Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Contents
1: Life Course Studies and Biographical Research: Exploring the Individual-Society Relationship
Introduction
Micro-macro Distinctions
Agency and Structure in General Sociological Theory
Gendered Notions of Agency
Structure-Agency/Biography-History
Summary
Overview of Chapters
References
2: The Origins of Biographical and Life Course Research
Introduction
George Herbert Mead and the Processual Self
Jane Addams and Women’s Methodological Innovations
William Isaac Thomas at Chicago
The Polish Peasant in Europe and America
Appraisal Proceedings for The Polish Peasant
Herbert Blumer: From Social Behaviourism to Symbolic Interactionism
C.Wright Mills: The History-Biography Dynamic
Glen Elder: A Contextualist Life Course Perspective
Summary
References
3: The Revival of Biographical Research in Europe and America
Introduction
‘A Continental View’: Revival of Biographical Research in Europe
The Oral History Legacy: The United Kingdom
Women’s Studies’ Contributions: Scandinavia
The Contextualist Approach: Life Course Studies in America
Summary
References
4: Time and Temporality in Biographical Life Course Research
Introduction
Mead’s Notions of Time and the Temporal Self
Historical and Intergenerational Time
Biographical Time and Life Course Phases
Gender and Time in Early Feminist Studies
Gendered Temporal Narratives
Summary
References
5: The Future as a Topic in Biographical Life Course Approaches
Introduction
The Future Across Historical Time
Thoughts About the Future and Wider Societal Issues
Young People’s Thoughts About Personal Futures
Class Specific Futures: Social Mobility
Social Inequality in Research About the Future
Summary
References
6: Methodological and Other Controversies
Introduction
Developments in Qualitative Methods
Quantitative Methods Gaining Ground
Debates About the ‘Cultural Turn’ in Biographical Research
From History as Periods to History as Epochs
Summary
References
7: Reflections
Attempts at Bridging Gaps and Overcoming Divides
Combining Research Designs, Methods, and Data
A Note on Quality in Biographical Life Course Research
Some Concluding Reflections
References
References
Index