Interview Location as Data

Abstract

While there is extensive literature on researcher positionality and other aspects of qualitative and ethnographic research, interview location is more commonly discussed as a place to collect data than as a source of data. This paper addresses how interview location can provide valuable insights into the interview participant and the interview topics. In it, I draw on interviews that I collected as part of a study on reentry from prison. The study design included four community-based interviews with each participant. I discuss three types of interview locations: (1) private spaces (homes), (2) paid third spaces (cafes and restaurants), and (3) free public spaces (parks and libraries). Each of these sites offers the potential for different insights into research participants and research questions, which also may vary across individuals, projects, and research projects/questions. Less important than the specific interview location is how interview locations and the social interactions they engender shape the dynamics of the interview or insights into the participant’s experiences. After discussing each of these in turn, I develop two extended examples of how interviewing an individual across multiple locations makes visible different aspects of that person’s personality and experience.