Analyze!

Is there an easy way to analyze interviews, observations and documents? The answer is no. Analytical work is notoriously multilayered and there is undoubtedly more than one approach. But this book shows how it can go more smoothly. The authors maintain that all analysis involves three activities: sorting, reducing and arguing. If the researcher or student can sort and organize the material, cut out what is irrelevant (or “zoom out” from what is peripheral) and formulate an argument based on the material – well, then they have a good chance of succeeding. These three activities make it easier to walk the winding but exciting road from material to manuscript. The book discusses analytical craftsmanship and its ambition to theorize. The authors’ aim is that their sound advice and illustrative examples will infuse enthusiasm into the creative analytical work.