ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors introduce the concept of 'suspending' to highlight how the multiple durations that comprise interviews are a significant dimension of the research encounter that is often overlooked across a range of disciplines in the social sciences. They review the interview event between Catherine and John to draw out 'suspending' as a methodological intervention filled with theoretical, practical and ethical possibilities for thinking empirical encounters. The authors argue that 'suspending' some assumptions to do with the performance of research interviews enables new research practices, new ways of sensing the multiple durations of interview encounters, and new forms of knowledge around the ethical considerations to which they researchers attend. Suspending, the authors suggest, is therefore an orientation for attending to the multiple temporalities of research processes. Introducing 'suspending' as part of a researcher's toolkit might enable radically different practices, politics and ethics of research.
