Methodological Issues Pertaining to the Application of Qualitative Techniques in Forced Migration Studies

Abstract

There is increasing attention been placed on qualitative methodology in collecting social data, it greatly contributes to collect more realistic and insightful information, ethnographic data etc. This had been realized by anthropologists but is now increasingly been realized by geographers as well. Such methodologies are important not only for their own sake but also to supplement quantitative data. This study has presently been initiated on the process of internal displacement in Sri Lanka- is a multidimensional process, which covers various social and spatial movements, delimited by single or multiple, day and night or other secular displacements. Therefore, the emphasis on qualitative research in the study. Though different qualitative methods are readily available to social scientists, it is found difficult and problematic to use such methods without subjecting them to a scanning process. Hence the need to pay special attention to methodological issues. In this paper, qualitative methods used by social scientists such as formal and informal discussions, in-depth interviews, structured or semi structured interviews, collective reflections, observations, innovation assessments, case studies and life histories etc. are first identified. This is followed by focusing on methods relevant to the study of internal displacement of people in Sri Lanka. The methodological issues confronted in this qualitative research such as the problems of representativeness, ethical considerations, verification of events and information relating to informants, validity and reliability, organization of the research (access, timing and neutrality) and objectivity of the researcher, are highlighted and discussed.