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Could Interviews Be Epistemic?

An Alternative to Qualitative Opinion Polling

University of Aarhus, Denmark

The author explores using qualitative research interviews to gain knowledge rather than mere opinions about a given topic. Current interviews typically aim to probe the respondents' experiences and opinions—doxa in Greek. An implicit model for much doxastic interviewing is client-centered therapy, in which the respondent—client is the only authority concerning his or her experiences and opinions. The author argues that doxastic interviews do not take advantage of the knowledge-producing potentials inherent in human conversations. Instead, the author examines the Socratic dialogue as an interview form that addresses not opinions but knowledge (episteme). In epistemic interviewing, both parties are engaged in dialectically examining a topic, with the aim of gaining knowledge in a normative—epistemic sense. The author presents examples from different interview studies that illustrate the epistemic interview in practice. Finally, the author asks whether epistemic interviews are suitable only for "elite interviews" and whether they are particularly ethically problematic.

Key Words: interview • qualitative research • epistemic interviewing • knowledge

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