A history of biographical research in the United Kingdom

Journal article

West, L. and Merrill, B. 2018. A history of biographical research in the United Kingdom. Revista Brasileira de Pesquisa (Auto)Biográfica. 3 (9), pp. 765-780.
AuthorsWest, L. and Merrill, B.
Abstract

Biograpahical researchers in the United Kingdom have been influenced by symbolic interactionism, feminism, oral history, critical sociology, psychoanalysis and what we term an auto/biographical imagination. The latter involves reflexively situating the researcher and her influence, via power, unconscious processes and writing, into the text and by acknowledging the co-construction of stories.

The focus of much research has been on marginalised peoples, as part of a democratising project to bring more diverse voices and stories into the historical or contemporary social record. It is important to avoid too rigid a distinction between mainland Europe and developments in Britain. Collaboration and dialogue have been extensive, across various research networks, including in the European Society for Research in the Education of Adults (ESREA).

KeywordsAuto/biography; marginality; psychosocial; class; gender and subjectivity
Year2018
JournalRevista Brasileira de Pesquisa (Auto)Biográfica
Journal citation3 (9), pp. 765-780
ISSN2525-426X
Official URLhttp://www.revistas.uneb.br/index.php/rbpab/issue/view/265/showToc
Publication dates
Print08 Dec 2018
Publication process dates
Deposited22 Jan 2019
Accepted30 Sep 2018
Accepted author manuscript
Output statusPublished
Additional information

Open Access: The Brazilian Journal of Research (Auto) Biográfica is published under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike license CC BY-NC

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