ABSTRACT
A point emphasised regularly throughout this book is that two main types of studies arise out of the central principles of the symbolic interactionist theoretical approach within the interpretivist paradigm. The second of these types, it will be recalled, consists of studies where the central concern is with how participants ‘deal with’ ‘things’. In considering the latter type of studies emphasis was placed on the notion that they involve longitudinal research where the participants’ perspectives, actions and interactions are studied over time. Sometimes, however, it is not possible to engage in such research, usually for such practical reasons as lack of access to research sites. At the same time, however, a suffi cient number of participants and documentary evidence may exist to allow us to do the research retrospectively.
