Life History Research — Biographical Narrative Method

Life history research is a qualitative method that captures the full arc of an individual's life — or a significant portion of it — through extended biographical interviewing and analysis of personal documents. Rooted in early Chicago School sociology, the method treats each life story as a window into broader social, cultural, and historical forces. The researcher and participant co-construct a narrative account that illuminates how personal experience is shaped by, and in turn shapes, wider social structures and processes.