Encountering resistance: Qualitative insights from the quantitative sampling of ex-combatants in timor-leste

Abstract

This article highlights the contribution of randomized, quantitative sampling techniques to answering qualitative questions posed by the study. In short it asks: what qualitative insights do we derive from quantitative sampling processes Rather than simply being a means to an end, I argue the sampling process itself generated data. More specifi cally, seeking out more than 220 geographically dispersed individuals, selected though a randomized cluster sample, resulted in the identifi cation of relationship patterns, highlighted extant resistance-era hierarchies and patronage networks, as well as necessitated deeper, critical engagement with the sampling framework. While this discussion is focused on the study of former resistance members in Timor-Leste, these methodological insights are broadly relevant to researchers using mixed methods to study former combatants or other networked social movements. © American Political Science Association, 2014.