ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines some recent developments in longitudinal and life course research where biographical materials may be utilised as part of a variety of qualitative methods or combined with quantitative data. ‘Traditionally’, where ‘lives’ have been used, it has been to give some (rather limited) added experiential depth to quantitative surveys but increasingly longitudinal research is giving greater prominence to biographical accounts and materials, particularly with the rise of qualitative longitudinal studies. However, while the growth of ‘mixing methods’ has demonstrated ‘creative applications’ in biographical research the chapter argues that there is still a need to pay much more attention to sociological theorisation – on how conceptually the ‘life’ can be understood and interrelated with structure, culture and history.
