Unveiling the unspoken in life story interviews
The dynamics of storytelling in the Lutheran congregation in Belfast
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3842316 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Christian Ritter (0000-0002-1891-1561), Christian S Ritter (0000-0001-7394-2646, University of Ulster, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2015 |
| Issue | 64 |
| Pages | 103-113 |
| Publication date | 2015-12-22 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Civilisations (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0009-8140 • E-ISSN: 2032-0442 |
| Publisher | OpenEdition (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.4000/civilisations.3897 |
| OpenAlex | W2297021981 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 10 |
Based on an ethnographic investigation into the German-speaking Lutheran congregation in Belfast, this paper explores how members of this community experienced the life story interview. Despite an ongoing need for emotional support for victims of past conflicts, the use of the autobiographical research method in post-conflict societies has not been sufficiently addressed in the literature on sensitive ethnographic fieldwork. In this paper, I seek to understand the role of the life story interview during my fieldwork in Northern Ireland. The study of the faith-based community brought to light a social taboo in the Lutheran circle. The daunting past of the Belfast congregation was barely mentioned in the get-togethers following the church service. Moments of silence frequently occurred during the interview sessions when questions about the past congregational life were raised. Since the life story interview was based on an open-ended questioning style, the risk of upsetting traumatised interviewees could be mitigated by a sensitive conduct of the interview session, i.e. giving interviewees the opportunity to interrupt the recording at any time. Furthermore, the qualitative study unveiled that the autobiographical method initiated storytelling and biographical work, which are widely considered crucial first steps towards the healing of traumatised persons
Art · Humanities · Sociology · Irish and British Studies · Memory, Trauma, and Commemoration · Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics
The Autobiographical Narrative Interview
Qualitative Research Interviewing
Interpretative Repertoire of Victimhood
From the Native's Point of View
Exposing failures, unsettling accommodations
Establishing research legitimacy in the contested political ground of contemporary Northern Ireland
The Healing Effects of Storytelling
The genesis of chronic illness
Silence and Violence among Northern Ireland Border Protestants
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,29 |
| Citation span | 2019 - 2022 (4) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |