Qualitative Research and Its Place in Human Geography

This chapter aims first to provide an overview of contemporary qualitative research methods in human geography. The range of methods commonly used in human geography is considered and categorized, together with some of the ways in which those methods are used to provide explanation. Second, the chapter aims to review briefly the context from which qualitative research has developed in human geography. This is achieved by examining changing schools of thought within the discipline, recognizing that changes are messy, overlapping, and coexisting. Third, the chapter aims to link methodological debates to wider theoretical perspectives in geography.