ABSTRACT
Globally, the last three decades have witnessed the fascinating growth in the development of qualitative research as it has become more legitimized and institutionalized as an approach to knowledge production and making developmental interventions. During this time, this approach to research has moved from being treated as a methodological outcast in the academy to being seen as an important component of the intellectual and public policy firmament, although positivist thinking and practices remain strong as the old “habitus” dies hard. While the Caribbean has also been part of this methodological sea change, it is important to place its development in a historical perspective so as to understand the formative influences shaping its early emergence. In this regard, based primarily on a content analysis of relevant studies and reports, this chapter examines the development of qualitative research in this region from the early phase of domination by foreign anthropologists (e.g., Melville Herskovits, R.T. Smith, Steven Vertovec, Colin Clarke) and ethnography during and after colonialism, to the period of greater localization with the emergence of native-born researchers, greater legitimization and institutionalization, as well as greater disciplinary, thematic and methodological diversity away from the dominance of ethnography and anthropology. In providing this historical overview, we identify the local and global factors which have impacted the emergence and development of qualitative research in this region, particularly public policy and the feminist movement.
