The biographical challenge of caring

Abstract

The article discusses the contribution of narrative methods to the contextualised study of subjectivity. More specifically, it introduces the key features of biographical interpretive methods, which derive from phenomenology, and presents four case studies of carers in East and West Germany. Through the cases, the article explores inner and outer dimensions of carers' coming to terms with disability, together with patterns of biographical continuity and change. This is followed by a comparative discussion of the interplay between personal and structural factors in the two societies. The article thereby demonstrates the strength of the method in exploring interrelationships between the personal and the social, as well as its particular relevance for professional practice in the social field.