Interpretive risk research: An examination of empirical case studies making reference to methodological issues, conceptual analysis, evidence and policy

Drawing on original case study research, this presentation will unpack the rationale for, and critically consider the principles and practices of, interpretive risk research as a mode of inquiry into socio-cultural and... [ view full abstract ]

Drawing on original case study research, this presentation will unpack the rationale for, and critically consider the principles and practices of, interpretive risk research as a mode of inquiry into socio-cultural and environmental risks, and as situated more broadly within social studies of science in society and policy. Key methodological and conceptual issues arise in these interrelated fields of inquiry when they seek to open up inquiries into intangible aspects of mundane living. These inquiries are an important means of investigating the risks, uncertainties, and everyday dynamics involved in making socio-technical transitions and understanding problems arising from environmental change. One of our empirical case studies addresses narratives of living with nuclear risk, another explores gender and perceptions of risk, and a third concerns everyday energy usage, life-course transitions and low carbon living in community contexts. Data analysis across the three case studies is discursive, interactional and psychosocial, with all three data analysis approaches (or styles of research) fostering understanding of how diverse publics engage with risk issues. Conducting in-depth analyses of the ways in which people make ‘investments’ in relationships, objects, devices and materials of practices that make up the fabric of everyday life, brings into focus the dynamics of everyday lived experiences along with their interpreted meanings and associated affects. Paying attention to issues arising when investigating assemblages of meanings, identity-forming dynamics (in situ and in and through time), and everyday sense-making about changing practices - including across the lifecourse, offers ways into understanding epistemological and ontological complexities that are endemic when investigating risk issues. Implications for evidence and policy, and further research, are considered through each case study’s focus on developments in risk-society relations as an intervention in people's lives in late modernity, which have implications for the everyday practicalities of life.