Dear Elvin,

 

Nice to hear from you. I attach the current version of the Short Guide and
you might want to look up a couple of the references in the bibliography:
Andrele, and Jovchelovitch and Bauer. Just a couple of thoughts about the
limitations of BNIM 

 

(1)     Post-modernists criticize any attempt to get at deep structures of
subjectivity (e.g. by way of a TFA) since they use a model of subjectivity
that is hyper-fluid, hyper-whatever, such that 'deep structure' of anything
is a modernist illusion or ideology.

(2)     Subjectivists (including post-modernists but not just them)
criticize any attempt to do a Biographical Data Analysis since an 'objective
account' of the reality of somebodyt's life (or of anything at all) is just
an expression of the subjectivity of the researcher playing a "God-trick".
Since all truths are 'relative', then there are no truths and any BDA (or
indeed any scientific search for objecrtivity) is merely a local
hallucination or Western 'game'. [Note that subjectivists and relativists do
claim that their 'denial of science' is true: they rarely say "oh, it's just
a game we like to play"].

(3)     Objectivists feel that narrativists are too interested in the
subjectivity of the individual, when what really counts is the objective
situation in which they are placed and the objective facts of their life.
Daniel Bertaux has been associated with this position. See Robert Miller
(ed) Biographical research methods vol.4, Part Four "Methodological debates
and issues" that includes a ding-dong between Daniel and his critics.

 

Two points:

 

1)       My own feeling is that it is a very good instrument for certain
purposes and a bad one for all others, and the question is really one about
'fitness for purpose'. 

2)       I think the question is often best put in terms of 'alternative
tools for the same purpose'. Given your research purposes (or Central
Research Question), how does BNIM compare with other 'tools' that might also
be candidates as fit for the same purpose? What are the cost-benefits of
each choice?

3)       Given that many research designs are multi-tool, where and when are
BNIM interviews the best tool and where and when are other ones as good or
better, given that you're combining them anyway. 

 

Since these are questions of more general interest, I'll send this answer to
the BNIM group too.

 

Best wishes for your dissertation. Do let me know when you've finished it!

 

Tom

 

 

 

Tom

 

24a PrincesAvenue

Muswell Hill

London N10 3 LR

UK

 

020-8883-9297

 

  _____  

 

 

Hello Tom, 

 

I hope you are well. 

 

I am in the thick of writing my dissertation with an aim to submit it by the
end of the month. 

Since I have to discuss my limitations in the discussion chapter, I thought
that it might be a good idea to ask you if there are any criticisms to BNIM
that I should know of. 

 

I would really appreciate if you could point out to references or criticisms
directly. 

 

Best wishes,