Abstract
A recent resurgence of interest in phenomenology has prompted the publication of various introductory texts that address phenomenology from the standpoint of either theory or practice. In a manner that is inconsistent with phenomenology’s emphasis upon the interconnection of human consciousness and the material world, most of these texts devote insufficient attention to the intertwining of theories and practices in the discipline of phenomenology. An exception to these texts, however, is Mark D Vagle’s Crafting Phenomenological Research – a short, informative book that explains concisely the interconnection of theories and practices in phenomenological research. Although Vagle’s commitment to exemplifying the style of phenomenological writing obfuscates his explanation of some essential concepts, his clear explanation of the theory and practice of multiple phenomenological approaches makes his book a valuable resource for researchers who wish to conduct phenomenological studies and for students who wish to learn the origin, purpose, and development of phenomenology.
In the first of the book’s three sections, Vagle defines the terms ‘phenomenon’ and ‘intention’, which constitute the philosophical foundation for his discussion of descriptive, interpretive, and post-intentional approaches to phenomenology. Based upon his definition of ‘phenomena’ as ‘the ways in which we find ourselves being in relation to the world’ (p.20) and ‘intention’ as ‘the inseparable connectedness between subjects (…) and objects’ (p.27), he identifies each approach with its principal author and a preposition that characterizes the relationship that it upholds between subjects and objects. Vagle identifies Husserl’s descriptive phenomenology with ‘of’, Heidegger’s interpretive phenomenology with ‘in’, and his own post-intentional phenomenology with ‘through’. Descriptive phenomenology, he argues, addresses ‘a particular intentional relationship (i.e., of-ness) between subject and object’ (p.36) as relatively static. Hermeneutic phenomenology, on the other hand, studies the ‘in-ness’ of intended meanings, according to which, ‘intended meanings come into being’ (p.39) momentarily in the interaction of two subjects. Finally, post-intentional phenomenology addresses the ‘through-ness’ of intention, according to which intended meanings are fluid and ‘always in the process of becoming’ (p.41). Vagle’s use of prepositions to characterize each phenomenological approach illumines the distinctive theories of each and the gradual destabilization of intended meaning in the historical development of phenomenology.
In Section 2, Vagle discusses research practices that phenomenological theories have inspired. To distinguish research practices that presume descriptive and interpretive phenomenology, he emphasizes the different extent to which each phenomenological approach engages a researcher’s past experience. Thus, his discussion of descriptive research focuses upon the phenomenological reduction – a practice that requires a researcher to prevent precedent knowledge from informing one’s experience of a phenomenon as it becomes manifest in the present. His discussion of interpretive research, on the other hand, focuses upon Karin Dahlberg’s practice of bridling, which requires a researcher to restrain the influence of past experience of a phenomenon, but not to bracket it entirely in the research process. Vagle’s discussion of descriptive and interpretive research practices refers frequently to the theories that these practices presume, and thus, reveals the interconnection of phenomenological theory and practice.
In Section 3, Vagle presents his post-intentional phenomenology as an approach that resolves the dualism of descriptive and interpretive phenomenology and overcomes the critiqued absence of political implications in these earlier phenomenological approaches. Contrary to descriptive and interpretive phenomenology, Vagle’s post-intentional phenomenology presumes the instability of intentional relationships and seeks to describe their fleeting character. Hence his use of the term ‘post’, which refers to the fluidity of meaning in post-structural thought. In place of the phenomenological reduction and the practice of bridling, Vagle advances his principle of post-reflexivity, which presumes the impossibility of suspending a researcher’s past knowledge of a phenomenon and thus critically engages that knowledge in the research process. Overall, he emphasizes the dialogism of post-intentional phenomenology, which, he argues, allows for its use in combination with such political standpoints as critical theory.
In addition to explaining the interconnection of phenomenological theory and practice, Crafting Phenomenological Research exemplifies the style of phenomenological writing. Interspersed throughout his book are ‘resource digs’, in which Vagle summarizes recommended sources on phenomenology, and ‘phenomenological encounters’, in which he describes events and exercises that exemplify phenomenological principles. These supplementary sections help readers to challenge the dualism of subject and object that traditional Western philosophy presumes and to develop the ‘phenomenological attitude’ that Vagle identifies as central to phenomenology.
Nonetheless, Vagle’s commitment to the style of phenomenological writing occasionally obfuscates his explanation of theoretical principles. Rather than offering concise definitions of these principles in the abstract before explaining their practical application, Vagle tends to discuss too immediately the use of these principles. For example, his explanation of Deleuze and Guattari’s ‘lines of flight’ spans two pages and includes no explanation of the principle apart from the contexts in which it has been used.
Overall, Crafting Phenomenological Research is an excellent resource for professional researchers and students alike. In addition to explaining phenomenological theory and practice of the past, Vagle’s discussion underscores the persistent relevance of phenomenological research in the present and its ongoing importance in the future.