Une application de la méthode d’analyse en groupe en contexte urbain burkinabé

Abstract

A practical application of the Group analysis method in an urban context in Burkina Faso. Qualitative methods are increasingly used in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly individual interviews, focus groups, life histories, and observation. Group analysis methods, which originated in Europe, have also recently been adopted. The object of this article is to document an experiment applying this method in an urban context in Burkina Faso, through the analysis of a narrative relating to an elderly person’s dementia. In concrete terms, once the method has been described, we will examine its specificities and then present the group analysis of the narrative. This analysis raises issues linked to the interpretation of dementia of the “old man”, the appreciation of the attitude of his son and his son’s wife, and intergenerational re-cohabitation. Finally, we evoke the relevance of its use in this context, and the difficulties we encountered, the external validity of results and the application of the method in Africa.