Thinking with Thinking with Theory in Qualitative Research

Thinking with Theory in Qualitative Research (Jackson & Mazzei, 2012) begins by positing that researchers find themselves "in spaces which we no longer know how to describe" (Deleuze, 1998, p. xi). That is, traditional forms of qualitative data analysis (e.g., coding, thematic analysis) may no longer be, and perhaps never were, able to adequately assess modern social life. To help find a new way through these unfamiliar spaces, Jackson and Mazzei set out to describe a "language and way of thinking methodologically and philosophically together" (Jackson & Mazzei, 2012, p. vii) that directly address the limitations the authors see in familiar data analyses methods (e.g., coding). This language and way of thinking is termed by the authors to be thinking with theory, directly "plugging-in" theory with data. The goal of this work is to push back against what the authors see as traditional forms of data analyses that attempt to reduce what is complex and multilayered to what is simple and transparent. To meet these objectives, the authors interviewed two first generation academic women (i.e., Cassandra and Sera) and used the resulting transcripts as the data for all of the theories and theorists (i.e., Derrida, Spivak, Foucault, Butler, Deleuze, & Barad) employed. This work is divided into 8 chapters with 6 smaller chapters termed "interludes" that serve to introduce the theories and theorist that will be plugged-in to the data collected. An introductory chapter provides the rationale, foundation, and overview for the idea of thinking with theory as a method of data analyses. Following this introduction, the authors demonstrated the thinking with theory method by analyzing the interview transcripts using six poststructural theorists. Table 1 summarizes the theories, concepts, and research questions examined by the authors. The interludes that preceded the main discussion of each of the theorists were a welcome review of those to whom I had been acquainted with and a much needed introduction to those with whom I was unfamiliar. These introductions were clear, comprehensive, and accessible to both researchers and students. Important terms and concepts (e.g., discourse/discursive fields, knowledge, power: structural and relational) for each theorist were directly defined and explicated by the authors, which created a clear framework and a strong foundation for the subsequent analyses. Following the interludes, each theorist was plugged-in to the narrative transcripts to address a clearly stated research question. I was familiar with most of the theories and concepts employed, but I was mostly unacquainted with Derrida and entirely unaware of Spivak. As a result, I was able to read the main chapters as both a knowledgeable reader and as a reader new to a theorist's work. Through both of these lenses, I believe the authors succeeded at describing the nature of their premise and demonstrating the necessity of the data analysis method advocated by the authors. In each of the main chapters, the authors took the terms and concepts defined in the interlude and directly intertwined them with the data without relying on codes, themes, or other common forms of analysis. Each chapter acted as an independent examination of the data, and produced an insightful analysis of the experiences of first generation academic women. Poststructuralism, even in its most clear state, is highly complex and frequently counterintuitive. Many of the concepts used by the authors were still steeped in the language and discourses surrounding this larger framework. I would not expect novice readers to fully grasp the intricacies and nuances of the poststructural theorists through this work. As this book was focused on the method of thinking with theory and not necessarily the theories themselves, I do not believe this is a significant issue. Having background knowledge in poststructuralism would be ideal when approaching this work, but this book retains accessibility to any scholar through its clear objectives and fully explicated applications of theorists and theories. …