Thinking through Others

Abstract

Imagine a single chapter whose aim was to cover the breadth of approaches, theory, and arguments inquantitativeresearch, and how these could apply to community psychology. I am aware of a similar absurdity here; compressing a vast and highly articulated literature and history into a single review seems an act of hubris at best, folly at least. Nonetheless, judging from my own methodological training in psychology, it seems an introduction is in order, along with, at least, a sketchy roadmap of the domain. This chapter offers no "how to," but instead is an attempt at an orientation or sensitization to qualitative inquiry–why it seems to be an emergent and increasingly valid consideration, how it shares many of the same values and concerns as community psychology, its advantages, and its problems. The chapter also makes a case for why community psychology and qualitative inquiry should be at the beginning of a potentially beautiful relationship