Dialogical exemplars as communicative tools: Resituating knowledge from dialogical single case studies

Abstract

In this article, we develop the concept of ‘dialogical exemplars’ as communicative tools for scholars who wish to ‘resituate knowledge’ from dialogical single case studies. Exemplars are typological representatives that try to convey typicality in non-taxonomic terms, yet in the existing literature, they are defined in terms of their relationship to a population, class or sample. We suggest instead that ‘dialogical exemplars’, as specific instances that have the self-other at their core, can be used to convey the ‘wholeness’ of cases to various audiences. To support this proposition, we draw upon two single case studies, built 30 years apart, that are concerned with children’s daily lives and experiences. Specifically, we develop a dialogue with and between examples from each case of children's play, not only to make the case for ‘dialogical exemplars’, but also to evidence the process through which we arrived at this concept. We highlight that this process is one that researchers often go through, but, rather curiously, rarely document. In conclusion, we suggest that ‘resituating knowledge’ might be best thought of as several, non-linear, stages in the process of dialogical research that involve, and invite further dialogue.