Phenomenology of Practice (Developing Qualitative Inquiry)

Max van Manen offers an extensive exploration of phenomenological traditions and methods for the human sciences. It is his first comprehensive statement of phenomenological thought and research in over a decade. Phenomenology of practice refers to the meaning and practice of phenomenology in professional contexts such as psychology, education, and health care, as well as to the practice of phenomenological methods in contexts of everyday living. Van Manen presents a detailed description of key phenomenological ideas as they have evolved over the past century; he then thoughtfully works through the methodological issues of phenomenological reflection, empirical methods, and writing that a phenomenology of practice offers to the researcher. Van Manen’s comprehensive work will be of great interest to all concerned with the interrelationship between being and acting in human sciences research and in everyday life.

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 books on phenomenology and on pedagogy, including Childhood’s Secrets: Intimacy, Privacy, and the Self Reconsidered  (with Bas Levering, 1996), Phenomenology of Practice: Meaning-Giving Methods in Phenomenological Research and Writing (2014), and Pedagogical Tact: Knowing What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do  (2015). He has had his books translated into many languages. Max van Manen has also authored numerous articles and chapters on pedagogy, health science, curriculum, qualitative research methods, and phenomenology. He founded the journal Phenomenology and Pedagogy and developed the website PhenomenologyOnline. He is recipient of an honorary doctorate, and he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Curriculum Division of the American Educational Research Association among many other awards and distinctions.