When two worlds collide: a story about collaboration, witnessing and life story research with soldiers returning from war

Carless, David and Douglas, Kitrina (2017) When two worlds collide: a story about collaboration, witnessing and life story research with soldiers returning from war. Qualitative Inquiry, 23 (5). pp. 375-383. ISSN 1077-8004

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Abstract

The story we share here stems from our research with British military personnel who are adapting to life with a physical disability (such as limb amputation/s or impairment resulting from a gunshot wound or IED explosion) and/or psychological disability (often diagnosed as anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder) after serving in the Iraq or Afghanistan wars. Throughout our research, we have struggled to answer the kinds of questions that plague qualitative researchers: How might we gain insights into intense, traumatic, even life-changing experiences? Should we be inviting individuals to recount or revisit such potent moments from their lives? What interpretive framework might we draw on to make sense of what are sometimes senseless experiences? How can we share any ensuing understanding with others without diluting, diminishing or disrespecting the lives of soldiers or their families? The story we share here – which responds to Denzin’s (2003) challenge to reanimate life and Erickson’s (2010) provocation to do so with greater modesty, visibility, and reflexivity – offers one answer to these questions.

Item Type: Article
Identifier: 10.1177/1077800416660579
Additional Information: © The Author(s) 2016
Keywords: evaluation, military, narrative, reflexivity, trauma
Subjects: Education > Academic cultures
Medicine and health > Mental health
Medicine and health > Research methodologies
Social sciences
Related URLs:
Depositing User: Kitrina Douglas
Date Deposited: 13 Mar 2020 16:28
Last Modified: 06 Feb 2024 16:02
URI: https://repository.uwl.ac.uk/id/eprint/6807

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