Writing in the Dark ─ Phenomenological Studies in Interpretive Inquiry

Bestselling author Max van Manen’s Writing in the Dark brings together a wide range of studies of relevance to qualitative researchers and professional practitioners. Each of the sixteen original chapters by accomplished scholars serves as an example of how a different kind of human experience may be explored, and of how the methods used for investigating phenomena may contribute to the process of human understanding. Van Manen provides the opening and closing chapters for the book, and also an introduction to each selection. This book is a valuable and rich resource for people who would like to learn more about phenomenological reflection and writing.

Van Manen and his contributing authors:

-Show how the challenge of doing qualitative research can be pursued through the process of inquiry, reflection and writing
-Are from a variety of fields such as education, health sciences, psychology, arts and design, communication technology, and religious studies
-Include numerous recognizable human experiences including common ones, forgotten ones, and ritualized ones

Max van Manen is emeritus Professor in Research Methods, Pedagogy and Curriculum Studies in the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta and Adjunct Professor at the University of Victoria. He is the leading proponent of the practice and meaning of phenomenological inquiry in pedagogy, psychology, health science, and the human sciences. He is author of numerous books on phenomenology and on pedagogy, including Phenomenology of Practice (2014), The Tact of Teaching (1991), and The Tone of Teaching (2002) and has had his books translated into nine languages. He has also authored over 100 articles and chapters on pedagogy, health science, qualitative research methods, and phenomenology. He founded the journal Phenomenology and Pedagogy and developed the website PhenomenologyOnline. He is recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Curriculum Division of the American Educational Research Association among numerous other awards and distinctions.