The Qualitative Open Mic

Amidst the ongoing occupation and genocide in Palestine, how do qualitative health researchers navigate their work and find their voice? What kind of research is it possible or ethical to do under siege? This episode, Sohail speaks to Weeam Hammoudeh, Zeina Amro, and Layth Hanbali. They delve into the courage, resilience, and ethical considerations that researchers from this region

Watch this space for the next episode in our controversies series - we're translating the transcript for this one into Arabic so we've got a slight delay and will have it out next week. Join us then for "Health research under siege: being a qualitative researcher in Palestine".

In October 2023, then-minister Michelle Donelan accused members of UK Research and Innovation's EDI committee of holding "extremist views" based on their social media comments on Palestine. She was subsequently forced to retract her statement, but the response from UKRI raised broader questions about whether and how government should be able to influence research. Peter and Sohail

In this episode we challenge the misconception that qualitative research is too slow and narrow to influence emergency response planning. Despite the common preference for quantitative data in crises, we spotlight the irreplaceable insights that qualitative research provides—insights into human behaviour, cultural context, and community dynamics that are crucial during emergencie

Sohail speaks to Tiarna Lee to explore the frontier of AI's role in health research.explore the frontier of AI's role in health research. While technology offers innovative ways to approach analysis, it comes with its unique set of challenges. From ethical considerations to methodological accuracy, join us as we dissect the potential and pitfalls of integrating AI in research. We a

In July 2023, all of the 44 editors of acclaimed Critical Public Health journal simultaneously resigned, citing concerns about Taylor and Francis' pricing system. They went on to found a new independent journal, the Journal of Critical Public Health. We speak to an editorial board member who resigned, Kirsten Bell. Kirsten sheds light on the intricate dynamics between profit, prici

This episode reflects on how lived experience can engender insights, support the interpretative process and enhance the trustworthiness of qualitative research. We consider the different kinds of experience that can enhance this process, the limits of individual lived experience, and what this means for researchers who don’t have personal experience of the phenomenon under study.

Constructivist grounded theory's origins lie in criticisms of classical grounded theory as overly objectivist and insufficiently reflexive when it comes to interpretive processes. Sohail and Elaine discuss this context before going on to unpack the whys and hows of interpretation in constructivist grounded theory, how researchers can make the vital leap from description of data to

The use of creative and participatory methods throws up complex issues for researchers. How do we interpret creative work? What knowledge and skills do qualitative researchers need to do this ethically? Is interpretation even the right word for this context? Sohail speaks to artist and academic Alda Terracciano to explore how visual art, poetry, and theatre can open up qualitative

This episode reflects on the history and theory of Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis: where does its approach to meaning sit in relation to other qualitative methods and methodologies? How have new ways of collecting data and the expansion of creative methods changed IPA research? We go on to consider the insights IPA can bring to key questions actively being debated across qu