Phenomenology of Survival Narratives: Evangelical Youth and Christian Cultural Capital

Abstract

The project at the center of this case study is a qualitative study that strives to define the phenomenology of shared survival narratives. In this study, a “survival narrative” may be best understood as wisdom, advice, oral histories, directives, or counsel passed down from an older generation to a younger generation designed to help the younger generation understand and succeed in contemporary U.S. culture. From the summer of 2016 to the spring of 2017, I interviewed 16 Latinx and White study participants aged 18–25 years on their understandings of Christian church messaging (survival narratives) regarding “how to make it here” and received data on education, religiosity, gender identity, sexuality, and race. In this case study, I discuss my research process beginning with my methodological choices and how the process of interviewing my participants shifted my understanding and interpretation of my primary research question. I bring readers along the journey of qualitative research, adapting and responding to the lived experiences of interviewees, to help them better understand the strengths and weakness of phenomenology.

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