ABSTRACT

This chapter presents the argument that qualitative research is limited in its ability to fully facilitate liberation and social change. Instead the authors argue for the use of post qualitative inquiry as a way of imagining new possibilities and knowledge that previously may not have been considered. Based on an exploration of the possibilities of the concept of love in child and youth care in the 21st century, with the aim of rethinking adult youth relationships, the authors guide the reader through their approach to conducting post qualitative research. The idea of taking a transdisciplinary approach to exploring concepts is explained, advising the reader to read widely across disciplines to explore different meanings of concepts and gain new perspectives. The authors discuss the method of close reading used to analyse the literature explored. The main recommendation is that taking a post qualitative approach allows for the questioning of what the world is and requires openness to new potentials.