Gabriele Rosenthal and her collaborators -- which I loosely call the Quatext German School -- originally synthesised the tradition which in England and the Anglosphere has become known as BNIM., the biographical narrative interpretive method.
Each has evolved in its own way, but both share a massive similarity of features.
Back in 1998, Rosenthal and her collaborators brought out in English a collected volume full of vivid short case studies and methodological discussions. Scanning these and dipping into particular chapters and case studies is still one of the best ways of getting a sense of the potential of biographical reconstruction
In 2018, she has brought out what can be seen as a complementary volume, a more sustained methodological introduction to Quatext-stykle, BNIM-style interview-interpretive work. It is more 'philosophic' than is common in anglosphere work, and does not discuss BNIM-work, but her detailed discussion enhances our understanding of both very similar and occasionally different BNIM procedures.
I can very strongly recommend her new publication, available free for downloading.
Note in particular:
She illustrates the case-interpretation methodology with the case of a Russian woman, 'Galina', in a way that is particularly useful in providing a sustained discussion of hypothesising in general and what we call 'structural hypothesising'in particular:
