The Hobo to Doormen: The characters of qualitative analysis, past and present

Abstract

Types, roles, and individuals have collectively held a place in qualitative research alongside and at times within neighborhood and community studies but have not enjoyed systematization. This article examines how ‘characters’ have been, and can be, developed for sociological analysis. Moving from an abridged history of what I will call ‘character-focused study’ – from Simmel, Park, and Hughes to more contemporary work – this article proposes seven common emphases on display throughout 21 qualitative studies drawn from this tradition. The article concludes with a discussion of the potential ramifications ethnographers should consider when making the methodological choice to include characters in the research design and writing of their work.