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The Study of the Case: Conceptualising Case Study Research
Author(s) -
Radley Alan,
Chamberlain Kerry
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of community and applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.042
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1099-1298
pISSN - 1052-9284
DOI - 10.1002/casp.1106
Subject(s) - presentational and representational acting , context (archaeology) , criticism , psychology , social psychology , sociology , epistemology , law , political science , aesthetics , paleontology , philosophy , biology
This paper recommends that the study of the case be seen as of primary analytic concern to social and community psychologists. Criticism is made of the idea that a case is merely an instance or a methodological option. Instead, we argue that psychologists should re‐direct their attention to the ‘study of the case’ as being central to issues concerning social life. There are three reasons for doing this. First, case study is basic to any procedure that involves collecting information about the context in which psychology is practised. Second, communication between professionals involves presenting the situation of their clients as storied accounts, so that cases are made, not found. Third, the communication of experience involves presentational work, which is basic to how individuals come to be understood as ‘cases’. The paper explores differences between these different forms of case, while emphasising portrayal as a key feature of all of them. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.