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Situational Analysis
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Situational Analysis
Grounded Theory After the Interpretive Turn

Second Edition
August 2017 | 464 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
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The Second Edition of Situational Analysis: Grounded Theory After the Interpretive Turn offers an innovative extension of grounded theory useful in qualitative research projects that draws on interviews, observations, and visual, narrative, and historical discourse materials. To engage the dense complexities of real world situations, Situational Analysis (SA) braids together Strauss's ecological social worlds/arenas theory, Foucault’s discourse analysis, and Deleuze and Guattari’s rhizomes and assemblages. In SA, the situation itself becomes the fundamental unit of analysis. Using extensive examples, the authors discuss getting started, how to create three kinds of maps emphasizing differences and relationality (situational maps, social world/arena maps, and positional maps), the kinds of analytic work they accomplish, and how to write up the results centered on the distinctive strengths of the method. The book will serve as an invaluable resource for advanced undergraduate and graduate-level students, as well as professional researchers and consultants from diverse backgrounds pursuing qualitative projects.

 
List of Illustrations
 
Acknowledgments
 
Prologue to the Second Edition
What is Situational Analysis?

 
Overview of the Second Edition

 
Practical Developments

 
How to Read and Use this Book

 
 
About the Authors
 
PART I • FRAMING AND GROUNDING SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS
 
Introduction to Part I
 
Chapter 1 • Situational Analysis: Grounded Theory Mapping After the Interpretive Turn
What Is Grounded Theory?

 
A Genealogy of Grounded Theory and Situational Analysis

 
The Interpretive Turn

 
Grounds for a New Method

 
Situational Maps and Analysis

 
Reflections and Anticipations

 
 
Chapter 2 • Methodological Grounds of Situational Analysis
Grounded Theory, Pragmatism, and Interactionism: A Theory/Methods Package

 
Grounded Theory as Always Already Around the Interpretive Turn

 
Grounded Theory as Recalcitrant Against the Interpretive Turn

 
Pushing Grounded Theory Around the Interpretive Turn

 
Reflections and Anticipations

 
 
Chapter 3 • Theoretical Grounds of Situational Analysis
The ”(Re)Turn to the Social” Across Social Theory

 
Pragmatist Interactionist Origins: From Chicago Ecologies to Social Worlds/Arenas

 
New Grounds I: Foucault and the Pragmatist Interactionist Project

 
New Grounds II: Taking the Nonhuman Explicitly Into Account

 
New Grounds III: Deleuze and Guattari’s Rhizomes and Assemblages

 
Assembling the Theoretical Grounds of Situational Analysis

 
 
PART II • DOING SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS
 
Introduction to Part II
 
Chapter 4 • Getting Started: Practical Issues and Project Design
The Three Kinds of Situational Analysis Maps

 
Practical Issues in Getting Started

 
Doing Situational Analysis Project Design

 
Issues in Situational Analysis Project Design

 
Technical Tools Supporting Situational Analysis

 
Turning to Analysis

 
 
Chapter 5 • Doing Situational and Relational Maps
Abstract Situational Maps

 
Introducing the First Exemplar: Bone’s Project

 
Situational Maps of Bone’s Project

 
Doing Relational Analyses With Situational Maps

 
Relational Maps of Bone’s Project

 
Final Comments on Situational and Relational Maps

 
 
Chapter 6 • Doing Social Worlds/Arenas Maps
What Are Social Worlds and Arenas?

 
Why Are Social Worlds and Arenas Analytically Important?

 
Introducing Social Worlds/Arenas Maps

 
Social Worlds/Arenas Map of Bone’s Project

 
Doing Social Worlds/Arenas Maps

 
Memoing Social Worlds/Arenas Maps

 
Using Social Worlds/Arenas Maps in Your Project

 
Final Comments on Social Worlds/Arenas Maps

 
 
Chapter 7 • Doing Positional Maps
Abstract Positional Maps

 
Positional Maps of Bone’s Project

 
Constructing Your Own Positional Maps

 
Articulating and Acting Upon Absent Positions

 
Why Are Positional Maps So Important?

 
Final Comments on Positional Maps

 
 
Chapter 8 • A Fully Worked Exemplar of Situational Analysis
Introducing Alonso-Yanez’s Project

 
Alonso-Yanez’s Situational Maps

 
Alonso-Yanez’s Relational Maps

 
Alonso-Yanez’s Social Worlds/Arenas Map

 
Alonso-Yanez’s Positional Maps

 
Provisional Conclusions on Alonso-Yanez’s Project

 
 
Chapter 9 • Writing It Up: Final Presentations and Project Maps
Writing It Up as an Analytic Process

 
Using Your Memos in Finalizing the Project

 
Turning Situational Analysis Maps Into Final Project Maps

 
Possibilities for Presenting and Publishing Your SA Project

 
Temporary Conclusions

 
 
PART III • MAPPING EXTANT DISCOURSE MATERIALS
 
Introduction to Part III
 
Chapter 10 • Turning to Discourses
What Is Discourse?

 
Why Analyze Discourses?

 
Turning Up the Volume on “Minor” Discourses

 
Single Site and Multisite Approaches

 
How to Design SA Discourse Projects

 
Turnings

 
 
Chapter 11 • Mapping Narrative Discourse Materials
Kinds of Extant Narrative Discourse Materials

 
Designing a Narrative Discourse Project

 
Doing Situational Maps of Narrative Discourse Materials

 
Doing Social Worlds/Arenas Maps of Narrative Discourse Materials

 
Doing Positional Maps of Narrative Discourse Materials

 
Final Comments: Situational Analysis of Narrative Discourse Materials

 
 
Chapter 12 • Mapping Visual Discourse Materials
The Rise of Visual Cultures

 
Doing Situational Analysis of Visual Discourse Materials

 
Visual Discourse Exemplar: Washburn’s Biomonitoring Project

 
Final Comments: Situational Analysis of Visual Discourse Materials

 
 
Chapter 13 • Mapping Historical Discourse Materials
Historicizing Historical Approaches

 
Designing Historical and Historicizing Projects

 
Historical Discourse Analysis Exemplar: Introducing Message’s Project

 
Doing Situational Maps of Historical Discourse Materials

 
Doing Social Worlds/Arenas Maps of Historical Discourse Materials

 
Doing Positional Maps of Historical Discourse Materials

 
Final Comments: Situational Analysis of Historical Discourse Materials

 
 
Epilogue: Situational Analysis Issues and FAQs
Comparing Early GT With Constructivist GT and SA

 
Tips on Learning and Teaching Situational Analysis

 
Decolonizing and (Post)Colonial Situational Analysis

 
SA Mapping as Facilitating Engagement and Collaboration

 
FAQs About Situational Analysis

 
Final Words

 
 
Appendices
Appendix A: Grounded Theory and Situational Analysis Websites

 
Appendix B: Selected Exemplars of Situational Analysis by Discipline

 
Appendix C: Selected Exemplars of Situational Analysis by Mapping Focus

 
 
References
 
Index

This book presents a clear, accessible but in depth overview of Situational Analysis. The authors set out the history and foundations of situational analysis before addressing 'how to do' situational analysis. This comprehensive overview is relevant to all researchers, from those who are new to methods of analysis, those in the design phase of their project or those researchers who seek an alternative method of qualitative analysis.

Mrs Juliet Paterson
Sport, Physical Education & Leisure, Plymouth Marjon University
July 12, 2023
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Highly relevant to students studying complexity and safety in healthcare practice.

Dr Sarah Fry
School of Healthcare Sciences, Cardiff University
June 10, 2021
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Key features

NEW TO THIS EDITION:

  • A new teaching- and user-friendly organization divides the book into three parts: Part I: Framing and Grounding Situational Analysis, Part II: Doing Situational Analysis from Project Design to Final Write-Ups, and Part III: Mapping Extant Discourse Materials—Narrative, Visual, and Historical.
  • Two new co-authors, Carrie Friese and Rachel S. Washburn, expand the knowledge and experience of using and teaching Situational Analysis.
  • An expanded number of chapters (from 9 to 15) makes it easier for readers to locate specific content.
  • A new extended discussion of the concept of “the situation” explores its theoretical groundings, relation to the turn to the social, and its methodological and practical implications in qualitative inquiry.
  • Expansion of the theoretical and methodological grounds of Situational Analysis, situating the method within the interpretive turn, presents a genealogy of contemporary grounded theories in practice and discusses recent work on abduction and Deleuze and Guattari’s rhizomes and assemblages.
  • A new chapter on getting started with a Situational Analysis project provides readers with answers to common questions and guidance in the research process, especially useful for those new to the method or to qualitative inquiry.
  • New exemplars, including four new Situational Analysis projects with all their maps focused on environmental, media, health and science, and technology studies, have been added to Chapters 9, 11, 12, and 13.
  • A new chapter exclusively dedicated to a complete, fully worked Situational Analysis exemplar walks readers through the process of getting started, creating various kinds of maps, overcoming the kinds of challenges faced across the research process, and the particular analytic insights gained through using this method.
  • A new chapter on “writing it up” describes project maps and possible focuses for write-ups based on distinctive strengths of Situational Analysis for presentations and publications.
  • Three new appendices focused on Grounded Theory and Situational Analysis websites provide exemplars of situational analysis by discipline, and exemplars of situational analysis by mapping focus.

KEY FEATURES:

  • Draws upon and is situated at the cutting edge of transdisciplinary social theory, providing readers new to qualitative inquiry with some grounding in its theoretical assumptions and current debates.
  • Extends grounded theory into analysis of extant historical, visual, and discursive materials, as well as interviews and observations.
  • A groundbreaking approach helps researchers examine difference, relationality, silences in data, conditionality, and complexity, and is also very useful for multi-site research projects.

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