Open AccessCollecting International Merchant Seafarer Oral Histories: Experiences and Reflections
Author(s) -
Tom Matyók
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the qualitative report
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2160-3715
DOI - 10.46743/2160-3715/2011.1118
Subject(s) - qualitative research , sociology , immigration , narrative , public relations , refugee , port (circuit theory) , engineering ethics , social science , political science , engineering , law , linguistics , philosophy , electrical engineering
Investigating highly mobile labor populations presents researchers with unique challenges and opportunities. In this paper, I share my experiences and reflections in collecting international merchant seafarers' oral histories and propose to move the dialogue forward regarding the use of hybrid qualitative research practices. Seafarers are constantly moving, at sea and in port, and traditional research methodologies are inadequate in determining the nature of modern-day seafaring. I suggest how qualitative research methods must be flexible enough to accommodate researchers' needs in a chaotic global milieu. Investigators researching highly mobile labor populations, as well as mobile immigrant and refugee communities, can gain insights into the challenges and methods available for meeting those challenges.