Life Course, Time and Process

Abstract

The increasing development of research mobilizing “mixed” quantitative and qualitative methods is associated with the search for more permeability and innovative paths between these approaches. In this double thematic dossier of the BMS, we wish to continue in this direction of decompartmentalizing methods by moving their boundaries of application. Exploratory analyses are using methods of data extraction and processing which “transgress” the traditional correspondence between materials and methods of treatment. The six articles of this double dossier to be published in issues 124 and 125 of the BMS offer original designs combining these qualitative and quantitative dimensions. They are based upon surveys focusing on temporal processes and life courses. They seek to open up new avenues for research methods, without undermining the validity of existing standard methods.