Professor of Sociology and Chair Jaber F Gubrium

James A. Holstein

Jaber F. Gubrium

Interviews were once regarded as the pipeline through which information was transmitted from a passive subject to an omniscient researcher. However the new "active interview" considers interviewers and interviewees as equal partners in constructing meaning around an interview. This interpretation changes a range of elements in the interview process - from the way of conceiving a sample to the ways in which the interview may be conducted and the results analyzed. In this guide, the authors outline the differences between active and traditional interviews and give novice researchers clear guidelines on conducting a successful interview.

The Active Interview

Professor James A Holstein

The Handbook of Interview Research is the most ambitious attempt yet at examining the place of the interview in contemporary society. Interviewing is the predominant mode of research in the social sciences. It′s also the stock-in-trade of information seekers in organizations and institutions of all kinds, as well as in the mass media. Across the board, interviews provide today′s leading window on the world of experience. The Handbook offers a comprehensive examination of the interview at the cutting edge of information technology. Drawing upon leading experts from a wide range of professional disciplines, this book addresses conceptual and technical challenges that confront both academic researchers and interviewers with more applied goals. From interview theory to the nuts-and-bolts of the interview process, the coverage is impressively broad and authoritative. The Handbook of Interview Research is both encyclopedic and thematic. As an encyclopedia, it provides extensive discussions of the methodological issues now surrounding interview practice, offering a multi-faceted assessment of what has become the method of choice for obtaining personal information in today′s society. But the Handbook also is a story, which spins a particular tale of interviewing, one that moves from the commonly recognized individual interview to what is called `the interview society′. The gist of the presentation is that we can no longer regard the interview as simply an instrument for gathering data, but must now also view it an integral part of society.

Professor of Sociology and Chair Jaber F Gubrium

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