Cross-Cultural Research and Qualitative Inquiry

• Main Author: Pranee Liamputtong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Turkish Online Journal of Qualitative Inquiry (TOJQI) 2010-07-01
• Series: Turkish Online Journal of Qualitative Inquiry
• Subjects: Cross-cultural research; qualitative Inquiry; healing methodology; decolonizing methodology
• Online Access: http://www.tojqi.net/articles/TOJQI_1_1/TOJQI_1_1_Article_2.pdf

Cross-cultural research has become important in this postmodern world where many people have been made, and are still, marginalised and vulnerable by others in more powerful positions like colonial researchers. In this paper, I contend that qualitative research is particularly appropriate for cross-cultural research because it allows us to find answers which are more relevant to the research participants. Cross-cultural qualitative research must be situated within some theoretical frameworks. In this paper, I also provide different theoretical frameworks that cross-cultural researchers may adopt in their research. Performing qualitative cross-cultural research is exciting, but it is also full of ethical and methodological challenges. This paper will encourage readers to start thinking about methodological issues in performing cross-cultural research.