Thinking about Cross-Cultural Differences in Qualitative Interviewing: Practices for More Responsive and Trusting Encounters

Authors

Anson Au, University of TorontoFollow

Abstract

Existing methodological efforts subsume the interview into broad epistemological abstractions, neglecting actual mechanics of the interview as practice, and dismiss linguistic and cultural asymmetry in the interview as a matter of (in)adequate resources. Reflecting on 24 semi-structured interviews exploring social media use among Hong Kong youth, this article develops a culturally sensitive approach that democratically exposes the way cultural norms surface in communication, using strategies which (a) transform the dialogical mechanics of an interview—reflecting back and encouraging; (b) transform the positionality of the researcher—building intersubjectivity and emotional rapport; (c) transform the context of the interview—making shifts in space, language, and presentation. In doing so, a culturally sensitive approach generates practical recommendations for (a) humanizing the researcher to dismantle power imbalances and social distances and (b) naturalizing the interview into a more conversational form, both of which combine to expose the cultural logics that govern action and interpretation whilst constructing results into intimate narratives of people’s life-worlds.

Keywords

Qualitative Interview, Dialogue, Culture, Power Relations, Positionality, Intersubjectivity, Narrative Construction, East Asia

Author Bio(s)

Anson Au is a PhD student in Sociology at the University of Toronto, a Visiting Scholar at Seoul National University Asia Center and Yonsei University, and a former Research Officer in Social Policy at the London School of Economics. His research deals with culture, health & medicine, social networks, and social scientific research methodology. Correspondence regarding this article can be addressed directly to: anson.au@mail.utoronto.ca.

Acknowledgements

I express my gratitude to Matthew Chew and the Department of Sociology at Hong Kong Baptist University for hosting me as a Visiting Researcher, where part of this research was conducted. Thanks are also due to Zhiheng Chen and Julia Ma for their research assistance.

Publication Date

1-13-2019

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2019.3403

Recommended APA Citation

Au, A. (2019). Thinking about Cross-Cultural Differences in Qualitative Interviewing: Practices for More Responsive and Trusting Encounters. The Qualitative Report, 24(1), 58-77. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2019.3403