Mapping Transitions in the Life Course—An Exploration of Process Ontological Potentials and Limits of Situational Analysis

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-24.2.4088

Abstract

In our article we focus on potentials and challenges that arise in the use of situational analysis for reflexive-relational transition research. We discuss how transitions can be mapped as transformation processes in the life course and mapping can function as reflective tool in research projects. We explore mapping transitions not only as static situations, but also in their complex processuality. To do this, we discuss transition and reflexive maps inspired by CLARKE's situational analysis, and thereby the challenge of mapping processes.

We start by discussing a mapping strategy inspired by situational analysis for the study of transitions, and proceed with an innovation of maps based on a research project. The aim is to trace the processes of change and to be able to analyze and map the connections between different dimensions and actors in these events. We reflect on various mapping strategies developed in the project to analyze spatial-material and temporal-processual aspects, their potentials, and limitations as well as the research process.

Mapping processes remains challenging and important for future research. Combining situational analysis and life course research opens up possibilities for researchers to better conceptualize the processuality of situations and to test different mapping procedures for this purpose.

We start by discussing a mapping strategy inspired by situational analysis for the study of transitions, and proceed with an innovation of maps based on a research project. The aim is to trace the processes of change and to be able to analyze and map the connections between different dimensions and actors in these events. We reflect on various mapping strategies developed in the project to analyze spatial-material and temporal-processual aspects, their potentials, and limitations as well as the research process.

Mapping processuality remains challenging and important for future research. Combining situational analysis and life course research opens up possibilities for researchers to better conceptualize the processuality of situations and to test different mapping procedures for this purpose.

situational analysis; transition research; relationality; reflexivity; practice theories, mapping

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Author Biographies

Karla Wazinski, Goethe University Frankfurt/M.

Karla WAZINSKI studied social work/social pedagogy in Koblenz and educational science at Goethe University Frankfurt/M. Afterwards, she worked as a research assistant in various research projects in the Department of Educational Science at Goethe University Frankfurt. Since 2022, she is a doctoral candidate in the Emmy Noether group Linking Ages––The Material-Discursive Practices of the Un/Doing Across the Life Course, funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) [German Research Foundation]. Her expertise and research interests include qualitative social research, in particular situational analysis, housing and (housing) transitions as well as un/doing of age and the construction of age boundaries in the life course.

Anna Wanka, Goethe University Frankfurt/M.

Anna WANKA studied sociology and law at University of Vienna, where she finished her PhD in sociology in 2016. From 2009 to 2016 she worked as a junior researcher in the research group "Family, Generations, Life Course, and Health" at the Department of Sociology in Vienna. Between 2017 and 2021 she was a postdoctoral researcher in the DFG-funded interdisciplinary research training group "Doing Transitions" at Goethe University Frankfurt/M., where she is now part of the consortium. In this group she worked on the project "Doing Retiring—The Social Practices of Transiting into Retirement and the Distribution of Transitional Risks" and contributed to the establishment of a broader practice-theoretical framework on transitions from childhood to later life. Between 2020 and 2021 she additionally held a postdoctoral position on mixed-methods research at University of Stuttgart. Between 2021 and 2022 she was a deputy professor of political sociology of social inequalities at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. Starting in 2022, she is leader of DFG-funded Emmy Noether research group Linking Ages––The Material-Discursive Practices of the Un/Doing Across the Life Course, funded by DFG. Her areas of expertise comprise the social practices of "un/doing age," life course transitions / retirement and the re/production of social inequalities across the life course, aging and technologies, age-friendly cities and communities, aging migrants, and lifelong learning. Theoretically she is specialized in practice theories, in which she was trained in the postgraduate program "Sociology of Social Practices," as well as through several international research fellowships. She is competent in both qualitative and quantitative methods and has high expertise in mixed-methods research.

Maya Kylén, Lund University

Maya KYLÉN, PhD in medical health science, specializing in gerontology, is a researcher at Lund University, Sweden. She belongs to the "Applied Gerontology Research Group," affiliated to the Center for Ageing and Supportive Environments (CASE). She is also affiliated to the research group Environment, Technology and Participation at Dalarna University. Her research interests include integrated care, housing, health, and well-being among older adults. She is involved in several national and international interdisciplinary research projects focusing on late life transitions, how economic aspects influence housing choices and relocation patterns in older age, and how the built and social environment can be supported by a person-centered rehabilitation process at home among people with stroke.

Björn Slaug, Lund University

Björn SLAUG is associate professor in health sciences at the Faculty of Medicine, Lund University. He is a member of the research group "Active and Healthy Ageing," affiliated to the Centre for Ageing and Supportive Environments (CASE=. In his research he focuses on the built environment and how it can be designed or adapted to support active and healthy aging. He has a background in public health research and has extensive experience from methodological research, particularly concerning person-environment fit issues. He is currently involved in several national and international research projects related to the relationships between the built environment and different aspects of health, often from a public health perspective.

Steven M. Schmidt, Lund University

Steven M. SCHMIDT is associate professor of medical psychology at the Faculty of Medicine, Lund University. He leads the "Applied Gerontology Research Group" and is the coordinator for the Centre for Ageing and Supportive Environments (CASE). In his research he focuses on the relationships among the environment, health/function, and psychosocial factors in the aging population. He predominantly takes a public health approach in collaboration with inter- and trans-disciplinary teams. To increase the relevance and impact of research findings, most projects include active user involvement (e.g., government agencies, policy makers, industry, older people).

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Published

2023-05-28

How to Cite

Wazinski, K., Wanka, A., Kylén, M., Slaug, B., & Schmidt, S. M. (2023). Mapping Transitions in the Life Course—An Exploration of Process Ontological Potentials and Limits of Situational Analysis. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 24(2). https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-24.2.4088

Issue

Vol. 24 No. 2 (2023): Social Worlds, Arenas, and Situational Analyses: Theoretical Debates and Practical Research Experiences

Section

Social Worlds, Arenas, and Situational Analyses: Theoretical Debates and Practical Research Experiences

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Copyright (c) 2023 Karla Wazinski, Anna Wanka, Maya Kylén, Björn Slaug, Steven M. Schmidt

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.