The Science and Art of Interviewing

All in all, The Science and Art of Interviewing has two substantial achievements. First, it makes a compelling case for interviewing. It convinces us that it is a powerful tool to uncover rarely observed or even taken-for-granted phenomena given that interviews facilitate 'opening the black box' of individual or organisational processes that are otherwise difficult to observe. Metaphorically speaking, they allow us to get into the kitchen where the dish is being cooked and talk to many different actors that take part in the process. Through this, we get to know key actors, interact with them and uncover processes through their experiences. Second, as interviewing is a laborious, demanding task and process, from identifying our research puzzles to reporting our findings, this book guides us through constructing the road to the end of the research tunnel where enlightenment may dazzle us. * LSE Review of Books *
Recent debates around interviewing have raised awareness about the centrality of this method to the social sciences, and about how to make sense of the data. This new book by master interviewers Kathleen Gerson and Sarah Damaske is destined to become the new 'go-to' for learning and teaching about best practices, tricks of the trade, ad recent controversies. It is sure to become the Learning from Strangers for the new generations of scholars. I recommend it wholeheartedly! * Michele Lamont, Harvard University, and Former president of the American Sociological Association *
Building on Gerson and Damaske's own highly esteemed interview-based work as well as on that of numerous other social researchers, The Science and Art of Interviewing explores the intellectual, ethical, and practical mechanics of 'depth interviewing.' Stressing both scientific rigor and artistic creativity, it walks the reader through the various steps of the interview-based research process — from sampling and recruiting, through listening(!) and probing, to adapting to surprises and contradictions — offering future researchers the best possible advice on how to capture people's 'voice thereby realizing the very goal of 'verstehen,' interpretive sociology. * Eviatar Zerubavel, author of Generally Speaking and The Clockwork Muse *
In this lively and multi-faceted book, Gerson and Damaske provide a useful and comprehensive guide to in-depth interview research — a fresh update to classic handbooks by Glaser and Strauss, Merton, Weiss, and others. Chock-full of examples from the works of contemporary scholars, The Science and Art of Interviewing will prove a valuable reference to researchers across the social sciences. * Mario Small, Grafstein Family Professor of Sociology, Harvard University *