Analysis Of The Role Of Interpretation In Human Geography Research

Interpretation plays a vital role in human geography, in particular within qualitative research. Many qualitative research methods hold an interpretivist epistemology: “the belief that we can only know the world through examining interpretations of it”. Interpretation is often described as something which depends on mysterious procedures, a process of transformation, or allowing the appearance of important ideas from the materials. This essay will conclude that interpretation plays an integral role in both visual materials and ethnographies, however the role differs between methods. It must be acknowledged that this essay will only discuss qualitative methods, so conclusions regarding interpretation within quantitative research cannot be made. To analyse the role of interpretation in human geography research, this essay will explore its position in visual materials, particularly in relation to images, and ethnographies, two qualitative research methods used within human geography.

To analyse the role of interpretation in visual materials and ethnographies, it first must be discussed and understood in broader human geography research. Some might say that the heart of interpretation involves going beyond the data but in reality, analysis and interpretation occur as soon as one decides to undertake a particular research topic. Prior to reaching that point “an outsize range of baggage” is brought with the researcher, including their personal experiences and background. These factors influence the interpretation and presentation of the finished data. There is, however, frequent confusion between the terms analysis and interpretation. Analysis describes the key features from the data, however, interpretation provides meaning for it, attempting to move beyond the data and not be restricted by it. To further understand interpretation, this “outsize range of baggage”, more commonly referred to as positionality, must be examined.

Positionality involves “the fact that a researcher’s social, cultural and subject positions affect: the questions they ask, how they frame them, the theories that are drawn to; how they read. Haraway (1989) argued that addressing positionality is the means to objectivity rather than a sign of subjectivism. Therefore, it is essential to take personal positions into account before engaging in research. This requires us to be reflexive, enabling the development of our knowledge. Reay, (1996) says that reflexivity involves “giving as full and honest an account of the research process as possible”, particularly analysing the researcher’s positionality. This includes exploring one’s subjectivity and reflecting on how this shapes the research process. Reflexivity is crucial as it obligates us to continually examine and re-evaluate each aspect of the research process, providing a way of validating the presentation of the findings. Collectively, this enables us to advance our knowledge. Which is imperative to developing human geography as a discipline.

The role of interpretation is important in visual materials through which a wide range of geographical knowledges are produced. This occurs due to the unique interpretations of individuals with different positionalities. “Geographers are interested in the way concepts like space, place and landscape are used and created in visual imagery”, however representations of these concepts are “never taken as straightforward mirrors of reality”. We should therefore ask questions as to how images represent the real word, rather than how precisely they replicate it. Visual materials encompass multiple visual forms, that must be interpreted in different ways. Despite this, there is little methodology which guides geographers in doing so; Rose (1996) is only aware of four visual material interpretation methodologies. Therefore, this essay will focus on semiotic analysis, a method and theory of signs, which involves dissecting images and focusing on their wider meaning.

Through the analysis of signs and symbols within visual images and people’s different interpretations of them, we can better understand the social and spatial environment. When visualising geographic space, it is necessary to acknowledge that the geographer is constructing their representation of the real world, which is then interpreted by the viewer, meaning both geographer and viewer have been somewhat subjective in this process of interpretation. “Each interpretation of an image is an attempt to define a relationship between a pattern as it appears on an image, and another pattern” that appears in reality. For example, Gillian Rose (1995) argued that the Thomas Gainsborough’s painting called Mr and Mrs Andrews (1750) came to symbolise quintessential English landscape, with this interpretation occurring by forging connects between what is seen in the image and a broader social context. However, visual representations can be interpreted by people in many different ways, which can be geographically, historically, culturally and socially specific. Depending on these, a person may interpret this portrait differently and these interpretations of geographical representation can be studied to provide insights into how society and space are ordered. In addition to society and space, interpretations of geographical representations can also provide insights into power relations. For example, when analysing the classic Hollywood Script, Mulvey (1975) argues that voyeurism and the male gaze are key parts, whereby the “spectator looks, the camera looks and the female character is looked at”. Voyeurism involves a process whereby the male gaze seeks to exercise power over its subject by marking her as the bearer of guilt. In Freudian terms, women are never represented as self in these images but rather as other. Therefore, analysis of the interpretation of the classic Hollywood script for example, shows how women are/were seen in society, giving us a better understanding of the social environment.

As a qualitative method, interpretation also plays a key role in ethnography. Ethnographies show variation in form, however most utilise participant observation, in which a researcher works within and alongside a social group. This creates a large amount of subjectivity and interpretation by the researcher, as their senses and emotions are encompassed. Interpretation within the methodology can reveal hidden social geographies. To exemplify, covert ethnographic research undertaken by Parr (2000) on mental health will be discussed. Undertaking the study at a mental health drop-in centre, this is an approach whereby the researcher attempts to interact in a social environment and continually interpret what is witnessed to determine its meaning. This allowed “for the embodied and contested subjectivities of individuals to emerge”, and through this approach, a greater understanding of de-institutionalisation was developed. Parr (2000) recorded his findings and reflections down in a diary, which enabled him to reflect and interpret these subjectivities of others and himself. This also enabled him to understand the wider view of mental health within the area. The focus of the study was to explore how social processes, were present in the drop-in. Through the interpretation of drop-in centre behaviour, Parr could explain the norms recognised. Here he described behaviours that would usually be deemed unusual, however in the drop-in centre, they were not deemed this way. This interpretation required background knowledge to explore and understand what occurs in medicalised places. Consequently, through drop-in centre participant observation, a greater understanding of mental health geographies was gained. As well as within the methodology, interpretation can also occur during the construction of the thesis. Ethnography is a personal experience, therefore, what one person observes and interprets may be different to that of another person. This subsequently effects what is written down. Writing allows us to think through research. It is not just a product of research, but a physical trace of an embodied act and process, therefore making it a method of discovery and analysis. In the 1980’s, human geographers became more aware of the crisis of representation. This led to human geographers taking ethnographic writing more seriously to consider the ways we represent others in writing, to critically investigate ourselves and how that affects our representations of others. To do this, reflexivity is required, and this helps us to understand the role of interpretation in our work. Through reflecting on the research process, the researcher’s positionality relating to the process, and self-criticism, the process and outcome of the methodologies would be improved. If no reflections occur, little progress in research can be made. Therefore, this shows that interpretation occurs within both the methodology and the write-up process, whereby self-reflexivity of one’s research is required to advance geography as a discipline.

Interpretation plays a role in both visual materials and ethnography, however there are differences between the two. As discussed previously, visual representations of places, spaces and landscapes are “never taken as straightforward mirrors of reality” meaning that visual materials are merely snapshots of reality and we can only interpret what we see in the image provided, not information external to the image. On the other hand, ethnographies provide descriptions involving most human senses: “to engage a group’s lived experience is to engage its full sensuality- sights, sounds, smells, tastes and tactile sensations”.

Another contrast which exists is the fact that ethnography is a written experience: “Writing is not only the most important means for the researcher to communicate their research, it is itself a way of thinking and a way of thinking through research”. In contrast to this, visual materials are a visual experience, solely requiring a person to be able to see. It could therefore be said that visual materials are a method universally understood, however it must be acknowledged that this may not be the case for those who are visually impaired. On the contrary, due to the written nature of ethnography, it may not be a universally understood method, especially with the different languages that exist. “Language plays a central role in the construction of meaning, which may be lost through translation, thus misrepresenting the views of the researched”. This can result in representational issues and unequal power relations occurring between the researcher and the participants. Therefore, ethnographies written nature may create issues when interpreting ethnographic research.

The examination of visual materials and ethnography has shown that interpretation has an integral role across human geography research methods, however the role differs from method to method. Analysing the interpretation of signs and symbols within visual materials has allowed us to better understand the socio-spatial environment, including power relations in society, where the examination of the classic Hollywood script revealed more about gender relations in society. Ethnography was then discussed to highlight how these interpretations do not solely occur in the presentation of research finds, but throughout the whole process, whereby Parr‘s (2000) research on mental health geographies demonstrated how interpretation occurs in both the write-up stage and the methodology stage. It must be noted that for interpretation to be understood, the researcher must acknowledge their positionality and be reflexive as to how this impacts the research itself providing a way of validating the presentation of the findings.