Are we there yet? Positioning qualitative research differently.

Almost two decades ago, Janice Morse launched this conference, and QHR as a venue for qualitative health research scholarship. The health research climate was then resistant to qualitative research methods. Qualitative scholars portrayed the rigor of their work in traditional scientific language and justified qualitative approaches in opposition to quantitative approaches. Emphasis on difference expanded as we embraced paradigm debates and argued about location of particular research approaches. Increasingly, I have been challenged to reconsider the boundaries between and among research methods and paradigms as I struggled to answer my most pressing emerging questions. The focus of this presentation is consideration of how the position of qualitative research has shifted over the past 20 years. Based on my program of women's health research, I will discuss the appeal and pitfalls of concrete distinctions, the challenges of flexibility and convergence, and the necessity of moving beyond difference toward a complete research toolbox that is useful for improving health.