The course was held in May 2025, at Lund University in Sweden
Aim and course content
This course introduces doctoral students at various stages of their research to reflexivity in their methodological approach, encouraging more creative and innovative research processes. It is designed for students with experience in qualitative research (currently following a mainstream approach to qualitative research) who wish to critically re-evaluate their methods. This critical reevaluation takes place in a reflexive space – one that considers the many influences on the research process, including the researcher’s role. Participants will explore reflexivity as both a way to avoid common methodological pitfalls and a tool to engage more creatively with different aspects of the research process. The goal is to produce more interesting, unexpected research results by rethinking conventions and exploring alternative research questions, fieldwork practices, interpretation strategies, and writing styles.
Key Elements
• The art and technicalities of qualitative research
• Differing viewpoints: Reflexivity, pluralism, and conflict
• Combining research perspectives
• Constructing innovative research questions
• Conducting reflexive interviews
• Representation in research
• Interpretation and re-interpretation
• Theory development in empirical work: The mystery metaphor
• The research process: Alternative metaphors
• Studying narratives
Participants will critically examine key assumptions in qualitative research, enhance reflexivity in their researcher positioning, develop adaptive and innovative methodological approaches, and explore new theoretical perspectives to generate novel insights.
Teaching staff
Course leader: Monika Müller, Lund University
• Mats Alvesson, Professor, Lund University & University of Queensland
• Dan Kärreman, Professor, Copenhagen Business School & Lund University
• Christian Huber, Associate Professor, Copenhagen Business School
• Monika Müller, Associate Professor, Lund University
• Sanne Frandsen, Associate Professor, Lund University
• Stephan Schaefer, Associate Professor, Lund University
• Christina Lüthy, Postdoctoral Researcher, Lund University
