Dados is one of the most widely-read social sciences journals in Latin America. Created in 1966, it publishes innovative works, originating from academic research, by Brazilian and foreign authors. Edited by IESP-UERJ, it aims to reconcile scientific rigor and academic excellence with an emphasis on public debate based on the analysis of substantive issues of society and politics.
Dados vol. 27 n. 1 Rio de Janeiro 1984
Abstract
This paper seeks to evaluate some recent trends on the use of qualitative methods and techniques as well as their implications for different disciplines such as Sociology, History, and Anthropology. Avoiding rigid approaches to the controversy between qualitative and quantitative methods, it attempts to demonstrate the utility of the so called "controlled complicity" as an approach to the study of political elites designed to overcome difficulties related to the confidential nature of the data. The paper discusses the joint use of oral history techniques and life history methods for the objective reconstruction of political reality and not only as an instrument for understanding subjective factors. ln fact, a concatenated and significant set of individual life paths make it possible to overcome the old antinomy between subjectivity and objectivity, between determinism and free choice. lt also examines possible sources of differences in the conduct of interviews with elite and mass respondents. The conclusion is that the study of individual life paths is more important in countries such as Brazil where the actions of individual leaders tend to supplant institutions. ln such a setting, to understand individual political action can be a fruitful approach to understand the functioning of the political system at large.
Os Usos da História Oral e da História de Vida: Trabalhando com Elites Políticas
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