‘Am I resistant to a military wife identity? Maybe not entirely’: Animating life history interviews as fictive diaries

Abstract

In recent years academics have questioned how findings may be presented in ways that centre the complex, rich and nuanced reflections heard and felt in qualitative research – and if this is even possible. We are witnessing a creative turn as ‘data’ is being translated into art-forms to reach wider audiences in sensory formats. Such endeavours open opportunities to move beyond the confines of conventional practices of academic writing, creating space for rethinking how we might attempt to show the textured and felt stories shared by participants. In the spirit of these endeavours, this article explores the opportunities afforded by authoring life history interviews into fictive diaries. Through doing so, this article argues that research could be animated in this way to show the complex emotionality and temporality that underpins participant narratives, perhaps even evoking an emotional, empathetic, response in the reader as they are drawn into participants’ stories.