Introduction: Working the Tensions of the Post-Qualitative Movement in Qualitative Inquiry

Abstract

In this introduction, the authors briefly survey the field of post-qualitative inquiry, outlining innovations, tensions, and questions that reside within the current field. The authors follow this survey with a review of the special issue, detailing the call and the individual contributions.

“This Wave in the Mind”: Resonant Becomings in Reading-Writing Inquiry

“…The field of postqualitative inquiry has proliferated over the recent years and yet remained dispersed (Carlson et al, 2020). Postqualitative inquiry is thus rhizomatic: a play of lines of flight in the middle (Nordstrom & Ulmer, 2017), where "what is at question in the rhizome [ .…”

“…Yet, while resonances are created between the scholarly literature and my experiences, the poetic inquiry also raises some questions about postqualitative research that can be considered as openings even as this article comes to an end. Such questions are increasingly being asked of the fieldwhether postqualitative is becoming the new canon and closing down on itself, whether ethics can overlook politics, power and privilege that is at play in academia, whether there are other creative avenues to explore without the label of postqual (Bhattacharya, 2020;Carlson et al, 2020;Gerrard et al, 2017;Koro, 2021;Lester, 2020). These questions can become invitations for researchers to engage with the productive and creative intersections of and tensions between traditional qualitative research, postqualitative inquiry and arts-based research practices (specifically, poetic inquiry) in critical and meaningful ways.…”

“…Pierre, 2011). Experimentation is one of the common threads in this divergent and dispersed field of research, where postqualitative researchers push the borders of academic writing just as they question the boundaries of academic research (Carlson et al, 2020). Thus, I compose poetic responses to my readings of certain scholarly articles published in the field of postqualitative inquiry.…”

Conventional and Postqualitative Research: An Invitation to Dialogue

“…Our vignette is grounded on transgressive forms of data, including the theoretical work quoted in this article, the political passions that emerged during our discussions, and multiple conversations with qualitative colleagues from different disciplines. It is noteworthy that most of these colleagues live a different theoretical life from St. Pierre, Mazzei, and other contributors of the special issue edited by Lee Carlson et al (2020). By this, we mean that they are unfamiliar to the ontological turn, the philosophical language of PQR, and high theory.…”

“…Most recently, I read the special issue on PQR in Qualitative Inquiry , which includes brief invited commentaries outlining innovations, tensions, and generative questions (Lee Carlson et al, 2020). This special issue reinvigorated my curiosity.…”