ABSTRACT

A qualitative scholar faces demands that may seem contradictory. One is called on the one hand to stay true to ones data, utilizing its richness and idiosyncrasy. On the other hand, a scholar needs to make arguments that are novel for a theoretical discourse. Yet, one is also called upon to avoid myopic reliance on narrow theoretical discourses and to be bold enough to generalize. In this chapter, I examine the task of theorizing from qualitative data as a dilemma of balancing between these three principles. The prize for finding middle ground is arriving at fully formed theoretical contributions.