My dear diaries: Following, valuing and reflecting on moments with research materials

Abstract

This article explores how solicited paper diaries, and the accompanying materials, are carefully handled over the course of one research project. It foregrounds the value of attending to mundane moments with research materials, by tracing tangible material encounters together with intimate fieldnote reflections. Through drawing upon theories of materiality with feminist and relational ethics of care, this article centralises paper diaries as a key mediator of relationships and care within research. It considers the micro processes of choosing diaries, posting them, receiving and storing them and tracing the emotionally charged moments as a researcher in everyday research situations. Such reflections, from the perspective of the researcher, look to offer insights into research relationalities and care. It argues that these momentary fieldwork reflections extend understandings of material methodologies by emphasising relational intimacies as a researcher and connects material and sensory understandings with feminist ethics of care and researcher reciprocities.

The use of diaries for understanding the experience of health and illness

“…The 'sensory intangibility' of diaries is key in the process of interpreting and analyzing it by researchers (Mason & Davies, 2009). Indeed, the reading and feeling of intimate written personal lives is interwoven with the sensory interpretation made by researchers (White, 2021). This reading and feeling may also have an emotional impact on researchers themselves.…”

“…While video or audio diaries enables the emotionality of the research encounter, it is far more difficult to evoke the sensory experience characteristic of written diaries (White, 2021). Indeed, connectedness can take place through research materiality's (Steedman, 2008).…”

“…However, it was only in the second half of the eighteenth century that diaries appeared in the modern sense of the word, as they are known today (Cucu‐Oancea, 2013). Since then, these ‘documents of life’ have served to provide important clues about multiple processes and social dynamics (White, 2021).…”

From the Home to the (Hand)bag: Negotiating Privacy in Personal Life when Living with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

“…Participants were invited to complete their diaries via paper, electronic or audio, to allow for preferences and abilities (White, 2021b). Participants were asked to write open-ended accounts with the starting point, ‘Tell me about your day with IBS’ and were encouraged to share insights into the extent to which they spoke about their IBS with partners, family members, friends, work colleagues and ‘strangers’.…”

“…Diaries included biographical narratives and logged, in-situ or reflective, day to day navigations. Interviews followed with more exploratory conversations of the meanings and significance of participants’ documentations (see White, 2021b). As such, both narrative (Riessman, 1993) and thematic (Braun and Clarke, 2006) analysis forms were adopted.…”