Social Generation as a Lens
A Qualitative Take on Generational Theory
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/firn.39500Keywords:
generational theory, qualitative research design, individual religious experiences, life narrative interviewsAbstract
This article explores the utility of generational theory in conducting and analysing qualitative interviews investigating individual religious experiences. We used generational theory in three ways: first, to select respondents; second, to select the interview method; and third, to analyse and contextualize the interviews. We interviewed six members of the Apostolic Society, a Dutch religious denomination, each belonging to a different social generation, and the interviews used life narrative techniques. In line with generational theory, experiences during their formative years were discussed as being influential on their individual (religious) experiences within the Apostolic Society; these experiences were then related to larger societal developments. Our findings suggest that generational theory offers an additional lens through which to perform and analyse qualitative research on religion, which may complement other fieldwork research methods in religion.
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References
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Brand, Berry 2013 Nieuw licht op oude wegen. De wegen die de apostolische beweging volgde vanaf de oorsprong (circa 1830) tot het Apostolisch Genootschap anno 2011. Delft: Uitgeverij Eburon. https://doi.org/10.18352/bmgn-lchr.9899
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Collins-Mayo, Sylvia, Bob Mayo, Sally Nash and Christopher Cocksworth 2010 The Faith of Generation Y. London: Church House Publishing.
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Foster, Karen 2013 Generation and Discourse in Working Life Stories. British Journal of Sociology 64(2): 195–215. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-4446.12014
Gubrium, Jaber F., and James A. Holstein 2009 Analyzing Narrative Reality. Thoasand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Horstmanshoff, Manfred 2011 Bewogen woorden: Klein Apostolisch woordenboek. Baarn: Het Apostolisch Genootschap.
Inglehart, Ronald 1990 Culture Shift in Advanced Industrial Society. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Jonte-Pace, Diane, and Willam B. Parsons 2001 Religion and Psychology. London: Routledge.
Jureit, Ulrike, and Michael Wildt 2005 Generationen: Zur Relevanz eines wissenschaftlichen Grundbegriffs. Hamburg: Verlag Hamburger Edition.
Lyons, Sean, and Lisa Kuron 2014 Generational Differences in the Workplace: A Review of the Evidence and Directions for Future Research. Journal of Organizational Behavior 35(S1): S139–S157. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.1913
Mannheim, Karl 1952 [1927] The Problem of Generations. In Essays on the Sociology of Knowledge, edited by Paul Kecskemeti, 276–322. London and New York: Routledge.
Patton, Michael Q. 1990 Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods, 2nd edn. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Pilcher, Jane 1994 Mannheim’s Sociology of Generations: An Undervalued Legacy. British Journal of Sociology 45(3): 481–95. https://doi.org/10.2307/591659
Possamai, Adam 2009 Sociology of Religion for Generations X and Y. London: Equinox Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315539621
Purhonen, Semi 2015 Generations on Paper: Bourdieu and the Critique of “Generationalism”. Social Science Information 55(1): 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1177/0539018415608967
Riessman, Catherine K. 2008 Narrative Methods for the Human Sciences. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Rubin, Herbert J., and Irene S. Rubin 2005 Qualitative Interviewing: The Art of Hearing Data, 2nd edn. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Saldaña, Johnny 2009 The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Stark, Rodney, and Charles Y. Glock 1968 American Piety: The Nature of Religious Commitment, vol. 1. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Stoffels, Hijme 2006 Nieuwkomers en nazaten. Religie en Samenleving 1(3): 121–39.
White, Jonathan 2013 Thinking Generations. British Journal of Sociology 64(2): 216–47. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-4446.12015.
Atkinson, Robert 2002 The Life Story Interview. In Handbook of Interview Research: Context and Method, edited by Jaber F. Gubrium and James A. Holstein, 121–40. Thousands Oaks: Sage Publications. https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781412973588.n9
Becker, Henk A. 1992 Generaties en hun kansen. Amsterdam: Meulenhoff.
2008 Karl Mannheims “Problem der Generationen”—80 Jahre danach. Zeitschrift für Familienforschung 20(2): 203–221.
Bowie, Fiona 2006 [2000] Anthropology of Religion. In The Blackwell Companion to the Study of Religion, edited by Robert A. Segal, 3–24. Oxford: Blackwell. http://dx.doi.org/10.11157/rsrr5-2-676
Brand, Berry 2013 Nieuw licht op oude wegen. De wegen die de apostolische beweging volgde vanaf de oorsprong (circa 1830) tot het Apostolisch Genootschap anno 2011. Delft: Uitgeverij Eburon. https://doi.org/10.18352/bmgn-lchr.9899
Bremmer, Jan N. 2005 Van zendelingen, zuilen en zapreligie. Tweehonderd jaar godsdienst in Nederland en het Apostolisch Genootschap. Zevende J.H. van Oosbreelezing. Delft: Uitgeverij Eburon.
Collins-Mayo, Sylvia, Bob Mayo, Sally Nash and Christopher Cocksworth 2010 The Faith of Generation Y. London: Church House Publishing.
Cornman, John M., and Eric R. Kingson 1996 Trends, Issues, Perspectives, and Values for the Aging of the Baby Boom Cohorts. The Gerontologist 36(1): 15–26. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/36.1.15
Day, Abby 2013 The Problem of Generalizing Generation. Religion and Society: Advances in Research 4(1): 109–124. https://doi.org/10.3167/arrs.2013.040107
Foster, Karen 2013 Generation and Discourse in Working Life Stories. British Journal of Sociology 64(2): 195–215. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-4446.12014
Gubrium, Jaber F., and James A. Holstein 2009 Analyzing Narrative Reality. Thoasand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Horstmanshoff, Manfred 2011 Bewogen woorden: Klein Apostolisch woordenboek. Baarn: Het Apostolisch Genootschap.
Inglehart, Ronald 1990 Culture Shift in Advanced Industrial Society. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Jonte-Pace, Diane, and Willam B. Parsons 2001 Religion and Psychology. London: Routledge.
Jureit, Ulrike, and Michael Wildt 2005 Generationen: Zur Relevanz eines wissenschaftlichen Grundbegriffs. Hamburg: Verlag Hamburger Edition.
Lyons, Sean, and Lisa Kuron 2014 Generational Differences in the Workplace: A Review of the Evidence and Directions for Future Research. Journal of Organizational Behavior 35(S1): S139–S157. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.1913
Mannheim, Karl 1952 [1927] The Problem of Generations. In Essays on the Sociology of Knowledge, edited by Paul Kecskemeti, 276–322. London and New York: Routledge.
Patton, Michael Q. 1990 Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods, 2nd edn. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Pilcher, Jane 1994 Mannheim’s Sociology of Generations: An Undervalued Legacy. British Journal of Sociology 45(3): 481–95. https://doi.org/10.2307/591659
Possamai, Adam 2009 Sociology of Religion for Generations X and Y. London: Equinox Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315539621
Purhonen, Semi 2015 Generations on Paper: Bourdieu and the Critique of “Generationalism”. Social Science Information 55(1): 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1177/0539018415608967
Riessman, Catherine K. 2008 Narrative Methods for the Human Sciences. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Rubin, Herbert J., and Irene S. Rubin 2005 Qualitative Interviewing: The Art of Hearing Data, 2nd edn. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Saldaña, Johnny 2009 The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Stark, Rodney, and Charles Y. Glock 1968 American Piety: The Nature of Religious Commitment, vol. 1. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Stoffels, Hijme 2006 Nieuwkomers en nazaten. Religie en Samenleving 1(3): 121–39.
White, Jonathan 2013 Thinking Generations. British Journal of Sociology 64(2): 216–47. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-4446.12015.
Published
2019-11-08
Issue
Section
Articles
How to Cite
Demeijer, F. A., & Stoffels, H. C. (2019). Social Generation as a Lens: A Qualitative Take on Generational Theory. Fieldwork in Religion, 14(1), 53-69. https://doi.org/10.1558/firn.39500
