Dynamic Inquiry Relationships: Ways of Creating, Sustaining, and Improving the Inquiry Process Through the Recognition and Management of Conflicts

Abstract

From a social constructivist or relational point of view, knowledge is the outcome of interactions and relationships between the inquirers and the participants. These interactions and relationships are shaped by dynamic sociopolitical processes and go through conflicts and impasses. This implies that the quality of knowledge depends on the quality of the relational process in conducting a qualitative inquiry. In this article, the author indicates some notions that might be useful in improving this process. These involve the recognition and management of conflict. Conflict is understood here not as the absence of consensus but rather as the negation or exclusion of “otherness.” A case drawn from an evaluation study in which a conflict arose among the client, site workers, and the author as an evaluator forms the basis of this article. A thick description and interpretation of the conflict is presented.