“Actually, in my culture…” Identity, positioning, and intersubjectivity in cross-cultural interviews
The increasing internationalization of education has brought diversification to university student populations. The
demographic changes pose great challenges to interview practice as interviews are increasingly occurring in cross-cultural contexts and
often involve participants from diverse cultural backgrounds. Recent research has demonstrated that the cultural identity of the
interviewer, in particular, the insider or outsider positioning relative to the participants, can impinge upon the quantity and quality
of the collected interview data and research outcomes. In this paper, we go beyond this conception of interviewer as either a cultural
insider or outsider to examine how multiple identities and positionings are enacted by interviewer and interviewees in order to achieve
intersubjectivity, or common ground, in cross-cultural research interviews. The paper contributes to understanding the complexity of
cross-cultural interviews, in particular, the impact of positioning processes on the establishment of intersubjectivity and data
construction.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 1.1Intersubjectivity and cross-cultural interviews
- 1.2Cultural identity in interviews
- 1.3Positioning
- 2.Theoretical and analytical frameworks
- 3.The study
- 4.Findings and discussion
- 4.1Positioned as culturally different
- 4.2Positioned as English language expert
- 4.3Foregrounding similarities
- 5.Conclusion
-
References
References (56)
References
Abbas, T. (2010). Muslim-on-Muslim social research: Knowlege, power and religio-cultural identities. Social Epistemology, 24(2), 123–136. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Alfurayh, L. (2016). (Not) the Saudi women you hear about: The developed identity of Saudi women in Australia. (Unpublished master’s thesis). Monash University, Australia.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Alvesson, M. (2003). Beyond neopositivists, romantics, and localists: A reflexive approach to interviews in organizational research. Academy of Management Review, 28(1), 13–33. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Atkinson, P., & Silverman, D. (1997). Kundera’s immortality: The interview society and the invention of the self. Qualitative Inquiry, 3(3), 304–325. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Au, A. (2019). Thinking about cross-cultural differences in qualitative interviewing: Practices for more responsive and trusting encounters. The Qualitative Report, 24(1), 58–77. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Bamburg, M., & Georgakopoulou, A. (2008). Small stories as a new perspective in narrative and identity analysis. Text and Talk, 28(3), 377–396. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Beck, S. (2006). Subjectivity and intersubjectivity in the teaching and learning of writing. Research in the Teaching of English, 40(4), 414–460.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Berger, R. (2015). Now I see it, now I don’t: Researcher’s position and reflexivity in qualitative research. Qualitative Research, 15(2), 219–234. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Block, D. (2000). Problematizing interview data: Voices in the mind’s machine? TESOL Quarterly, 34(4), 757–763. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Bucholtz, M., & Hall, K. (2005). Identity and interaction: A sociocultural linguistic approach. Discourse Studies, 7(4–5), 585–614. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Clark, T. (2010). On ‘being researched’: Why do people engage with qualitative research? Qualitative Research, 10(4), 399–419. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Cresswell, J. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
De Fina, A., & Perrino, S. (2011). Introduction: Interviews vs. ‘natural’ contexts: A false dilemma. Language in Society, 40(1), 1–11. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Donohoue Clyne, I. (2004). Finding common ground: Cross-cultural research in the Muslim community. Retrieved from [URL]
Drake, P. (2010). Grasping at methodological unerstanding: A cautionary tale from insider research. International Journal of Research & Method in Education, 33(1), 85–99. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Fontana, A., & Frey, J. (2000). The interview: From structured questions to negotiated text. In N. Denzin & Y. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (2nd ed., pp. 645–672). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Gall, M., Gall, J., & Borg, W. (2007). Education research: An introduction (8th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Gerson, K., & Horowitz, R. (2002). Observation and interviewing: Option and choices in qualitative research. In T. May (Ed.), Qualitative research in action. London: SAGE Publications.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Gillespie, A., & Cornish, F. (2009). Intersubjectivity: Towards a dialogical analysis. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 40(1), 19–46. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Gillham, B. (2000). The research interview. London: Continuum.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Groves, O. (2015). Language learning as participation. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Wollongong, Wollongong.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Gubrium, E., & Koro-Ljungberg, M. (2005). Contending with border making in the social constructionist interview. Qualitative Inquiry, 11(5), 689–715. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Gubrium, J., & Holstein, J. (2003). Postmodern interviewing. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Hamdan, A. (2005). Women and education in Saudi Arabia: Challenges and achievements. International Education Journal, 6(1), 42–64.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Harrison, J., MacGibbon, L., & Morton, M. (2001). Regimes of trustworthiness in qualitative research: The rigors of reciprocity. Qualitative Inquiry, 7(3), 323–345. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Holstein, J., & Gubrium, J. (1997). Active interviewing. In D. Silverman (Ed.), Qualitative research: Theory, method and practice (pp. 113–129). London: Sage.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Hoskins, M., & White, J. (2013). Relational inquiries and the research interview: Mentoring future researchers. Qualitative Inquiry, 19(3), 179–188. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Katyal, K., & King, M. (2014). Non-Chinese researchers conducting research in Chinese cultures: Critical reflections. International Journal of Research & Method in Education, 37(1), 44–62. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Kondakci, Y., Bedenlier, S., & Zawacki-Richter, O. (2018). Social network analysis of international student mobility: Uncovering the rise of regional hubs. Higher Education, 751, 517–535. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Lee, M. (2016). Finding cultural harmnony in interviewing: The wisdom of the middle way. International Journal of Research & Method in Education, 39(1), 38–57. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Liamputtong, P. (2008). Doing research in a cross-cultural context: Methodological and ethical challenges. In P. Liamputtong (Ed.), Doing cross-cultural research: Ethical and methodological perspectives (Vol. 34, pp. 3–20). London: Springer. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Mann, S. (2011). A critical review of qualitative interviews in applied linguistics. Applied Linguistics, 32(1), 6–24. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Mercer, J. (2007). The challenges of insider research in educational institutions: Weilding a double-edged sword and resolving delicate dilemmas. Oxford Review of Education, 33(1), 1–17. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Merriam, S. (1998). Qualitative research and case study applications in education. San Francisco: Jossey-Boss.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Milligan, L. (2016). Insider-outsider-inbetweener? Researcher positioning, participative methods and cross-cultural educational research. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 46(2), 235–250. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Nakata, Y. (2015). Insider-outsider perspective: Revisiting the conceptual framework of research methodology in language teacher education. International Journal of Research & Method in Education, 38(2), 166–183. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Norton, B., & Toohey, K. (2011). Identity, language learning, and social change. Language Teaching, 44(4), 412–446.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
O’Boyle, A. (2018). Encounters with identity: Reflexivity and positioning in an interdisciplinary research project. International Journal of Research & Method in Education, 41(3), 353–366. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
OECD. (2015). Education at a glance 2015: OECD indicators. Retrieved from: [URL]. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
Roulston, K. (2010). Reflective interviewing: A guide to theory and practice. London: Sage. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Roulston, K. (2011). Interview ‘problems’ as topics for analysis. Applied Linguistics, 32(1), 77–94. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Ryan, L., Kofman, E., & Aaron, P. (2011). Insiders and outsiders: Working with peer researchers in researching Muslim communities. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 14(1), 49–60. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Sa, C., & Sabzalieva, E. (2018). The politics of the great brain race: Public policy and international student recruitment in Australia, Canada, England and the USA. Higher Education, 751, 231–253. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Sands, R., Bourjolly, J., & Roer-Strier, D. (2007). Crossing cultural barriers in research interviewing. Qualitative Social Work, 6(3), 353–372. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Santoro, N., & Smyth, G. (2010). Researching ethnic ‘others’: Conducting critical ethnographic research in Australia and Scotland. Intercultural Education, 21(6), 493–503. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Shah, S. (2004). The researcher/interviewer in intercultural context: A social intruder! British Education Research Journal, 30(4), 549–575. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Song, M., & Parker, D. (1995). Commonality, difference and the dynamics of disclosure in in-depth interviewing. Sociology, 29(2), 241–256. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Tabane, R., & Bouwer, C. (2006). The influence of cross-cultural interviewing on the generation of data. South African Journal of Education, 26(4), 553–564.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Talmy, S. (2010). Qualitative interviews in applied linguistics: From research instrument to social practice. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 301, 128–148. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Talmy, S. (2011). The interview as collaborative achievement: Interaction, identity, and ideology in a speech event. Applied Linguistics, 32(1), 25–42. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Talmy, S., & Richards, K. (2011). Theorizing qualitative research interviews in applied linguistics. Applied Linguistics, 32(1), 1–5. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Tinker, C., & Armstrong, N. (2008). From the outside looking in: How an awareness of difference can benefit the qualitative research process. The Qualitative Report, 13(1), 53–60.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Yee, W., & Andrews, J. (2006). Professional researcher or a ‘good guest’? Ethical dilemmas involved in researching children and families in the home setting. Educational Review, 58(4), 397–413. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Zempi, I. (2016). Negotiating constructions of insider and outsider status in research with veiled Muslim women victims of Islamophobic hate crime. Sociological Research Online, 21(4), 70–81. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Cited by (3)
Cited by three other publications
Oliver, Rhonda, Honglin Chen & Sender Dovchin
2024.
Review of selected research in applied linguistics published in Australia (2015–2022).
Language Teaching ► pp. 1 ff.
![DOI logo](//benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
Han, Lili, Manlin Lin & Zhisheng (Edward) Wen
Soltani, Behnam & Lawrence Jun Zhang
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 4 july 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers.
Any errors therein should be reported to them.