An introduction to "doing biographical research"

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is twofold: It recon structs the development of a joint endeavor of a group of social scientists trying to make their specific approaches of doing biographical research visible by focusing on one par ticular autobiographical narrative interview: the interview with a female labor migrant from Turkey living in a Ger man city. The data were collected in a student research pro ject of the late Christa HOFFMANN-RIEM. The product of this endeavor is this issue of Forum: Qualitative Social Re search?a preliminary product since readers are invited to take part in the analysis of this interview, the transcription of which is made available to them (in the original German version and an English translation as well) and to offer their interpretations and critical comments in the future. In addi tion to this the reconstruction of this endeavor is placed in