Visualizing the Intersection of the Personal and the Social Context--The Use of Multi-Layered Chronological Charts in Biographical Studies

Biographies have a central role within the qualitative research tradition. We distinguish between (a) biographical studies, where an individual's life story is studied through research of archival documents and records, (b) autobiographies, where persons write their own life stories, (c) oral histories, which focus on personal recollections of events, their causes and their effects from the perspective of one or more individuals, and (d) life histories, which reflect socio-cultural, personal and institutional themes in an individual's life (Creswell, 2007). Regardless of the biographical approach, qualitative researchers are faced with the crucial task of differentiating the life history, or lived life, from the life story, examining the meanings attached to the lived life (Chaitin, 2002). Chronologies are visualization tools used by researchers to reconstruct the life history (cf. Chaitin, 2002; Creswell, 2007; Marshall & Rossman, 2010; Rosenthal, 1993, 2004; Taylor & Bogdan, 1984; Wengraf, 2001). My own doctoral research, a life history study, called for the creation of life chronologies of a group of selected, nonviolent peace activists in the United States (Hiller, 2010). Having employed the rather traditional method of creating chronologies in previous research studies, my doctoral dissertation gave me the incentive to experiment with more advanced, useful forms of visualization. In this article, I will discuss how I envisioned and developed multi-layered chronological charts customizing contemporary genealogy software. In doing so, I hope to provide fellow qualitative researchers with some insight into state-of-the-art research methodological, theoretical and technical approaches. I argue that in addition to commonly used forms of thematic analysis this approach is a useful analytical tool. First, I will briefly discuss the need for and application of chronologies in biographical research. Then I will describe how I developed my approach using multi-layered chronological charts in my own research study. In order to situate the philosophies and theories of my approach, I wish to describe its development and, using illustrated examples from my dissertation, discuss its applications. I conclude by encouraging qualitative researchers to add customizable multi-layered chronologies to their methodological tool box as a means of strengthening biographical research by disseminating data through a unique visualization angle and even adding additional layers of data. The Role of Chronologies in Biographical Studies Denzin and Lincoln (2005) fittingly describe qualitative research as "a set of interpretative, material practices that make the world visible" (p. 4). Furthermore, they argue that "qualitative researchers deploy a wide range of interconnected interpretive practices, hoping to get a better understanding of the subject matter at hand" (Denzin & Lincoln, p. 5). For the study of lives in context, Cole and Knowles (2001) recommend organizing material in a way to maximize access and ongoing visitations. When we are dealing with data dissemination, Miles and Huberman (1994) rightfully argue that extended text is disadvantageous for "resolving problems of multidimensionality, inter-event influence, and differential salience of events" (p. 111). The creation of chronologies in biographical studies is one of several steps of data analysis. The main objective of a chronological sketch is to look for life-course stages or experiences such as childhood, marriage, employment, place of residence, siblings, etc. (Creswell, 2007). Marshall and Rossman (2010) note that "the abundance of data collected in a life history should be managed and reduced so that analytic headway can be made" (p. 152). The authors suggest considering alternatives to the classical chronological order, such as highlighting critical dimensions of the person's life, turning points or the person's means of adaptation. …