NEGOTIATING THE LIFE NARRATIVE

This article explores two methodological issues that arise when researchers involve the women they study in the construction of life narratives. These issues are examined in the context of an interview-derived, life-narrative study of an African American social worker. First, the tension between presenting a neatly unified identity in a written text and acknowledging the contradictions within any person's life story are discussed from both the researcher's and participant's vantage point. The second issue addresses the dilemma that arises when the researcher and the research participant disagree about the meanings and interpretations garnered from the participant's life story. I contend that it is precisely at this moment that the research process has the potential to become a dialogue between theorists and that scholars can incorporate a woman's own theorizing about her life in the research. In concluding, several methodological suggestions are offered as broad guidelines for researchers planning a life-narrative study.