ABSTRACT
According to Edmund Burke, ‘to read without reflecting is like eating without digesting’ (quoted in Peter 1982). Reading and annotating are processes which aid the ‘digestion’ of our data. Although I discuss them separately, they are two facets of the same process of absorbing information and reflecting upon it. Reading our data is akin to ‘reading’ a situation —#8212;it is a process of interpreting what the data may mean (Sayer 1992:35–6). This process should not be reduced to the indispensible task of recognizing the meaning of the symbols through which information is conveyed. It encompasses integration—relating various parts of data to other parts, or to the data as a whole. It involves assimilation—relating the data to previous knowledge. It requires retention and recall—storing the understanding we gain through reading in an accessible form. And it culminates in communication —the use we make of our reading in producing an account (cf. Buzan 1982:28). If reading and annotating the data are to contribute effectively to our analysis, we have to consider how each of these elements can be facilitated and sustained.
