Here I am again with a new blog that incorporates my reflection on the recent interviews I conducted. What pops into your mind when you think of ‘Interviews’? Probably job interviews, interviews of your most loved movie stars and celebrities on TV, or intense political interviews on news channels. However, do interviews have any impact on a personal and social level? By the time you are through reading this post, you might just have found the answer.
I have framed three questions with simple language for easier understanding and have given below the reasoning for choosing them. These questions are common for both the interviews, one an in-person interview and one a Zoom interview.
- How do you think social media is helping or maybe making it tougher, for women around here to speak up, and get involved in local projects?
- Have you ever noticed how news from other countries changes the way we think about women’s roles here?
- What’s something you’ve seen or heard that has shifted your view?,With all the development programs coming in, how do you think local traditions mix with new ideas and open up more opportunities for women around here?
These questions address the core areas in the literature of Communication for Development: issues on gender, communication technologies, and development. Their inspiration is derived from Gayatri Spivak’s works on the voices of subalterns Can the Subaltern Speak? and Arjun Appadurai’s ideas on global cultural flows Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses . Similarly, Chandra Talpade Mohanty’s critique of the representations of Western feminists Arjun Appadurai: Flows of Globalization leads to a discussion on how local cultural practices and global discourses of development shape the experiences and opportunities available to women in their communities. Let me share my experience of conducting an in-person interview.
I contacted my neighbor in my community by visiting her home, where I explained the reason for this interview and asked her for her consent, and willingness to participate. Actually, I never had an opportunity to sit and talk with her before; just a couple of hellos when we coincidentally met in the garden. This interview was indeed an opportunity to learn and build a friendship, which at times might prove to be an uphill task for any foreigner-turned-citizen like me.I was planning for a semi-structured interview; it started with prepared questions but really developed into a story-driven, informal interview.
One open-ended question led to natural follow-ups that allowed for deeper insight into the experiences of the interviewee. This approach created a collaborative meaning-making process, through ‘narrative linkage’ allowing the interviewee to share their story authentically (Holstein & Gubrium,1995).Sage Research Methods – The Active Interview – Introduction. This personal interview helped to establish trust and openness within the interview setting ,as body language and tone of voices indicated sensitive topics such as immigration, multiculturalism, and feminism,which likely led to more honest responses.
The interview with a Swedish woman in her seventies sheds light on her perceptions of gender and development communication in Sweden. Indeed, the first exchange set a friendly environment; however, her ambiguous responses could either denote the absence of significant opinion or resistance to comment on sensitive issues. The interviewee uses very little social media, this exemplifies the generational gap in active contact with digital platforms and their impact on perceptions concerning gender.
She observes little gender disparity in her professional life, which contrasts with historical data that illustrates how Sweden advanced in gender equality from the 1970’s (Gustafsson et al.,2019) and maybe suggests a disjunction between individual experience and wider societal transformations. Her high working morals and criticism of immigration policies are a reflection of current debates within society, demographically and politically driven by changes going on in Sweden today (Harding,2022).
Although she has traveled extensively, the lack of multicultural friendships suggests a separation between international exposure and domestic integration.She says“Women from Thailand are hardworking and I have seen them carry heavy loads on their heads and walk, while their husbands ride motorbikes, bypassing them overlooking their struggle”. Further, she adds, “I do not believe what the media shows all the time, especially on the TV, they’re over the top and seem made up.” Her perception shows the reliance on the individual experiences over the grand narrative. Generalized trust in the Swedish government surely reflects the strong institutional trust in the country OECD Survey on Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions 2024 Results – Country Notes: Sweden except among issues that relate to immigration.
This interview highlights how generational perspectives are relevant in discussions of digital communication and gender, showing gaps between individual perceptions and statistics on gender equality. Personal experiences shape attitudes towards social change and, therefore, point to the relevance of age-sensitive methods within Communication for Development with generational challenges of immigration and integration.
Now, I will share my insights from the zoom interview conducted.
I interviewed a middle-aged woman from Madurai in India over Zoom, whom I met last summer.She is an experienced teacher turned online tutor.Though initially skeptical of the term ‘Interview’, she accepted after I clarified the purpose of this interview. This was a semi-structured interview with a set of questions, allowing the interviewee to freely express her ideas. She considers social media to change the ball game for women because, through this, they get a platform on which they can raise their voices and participate in local initiatives. WhatsApp and Instagram-like platforms support community-building efforts, from organizing clean-ups of parks to tutoring underprivileged children to educating women of low literacy about health and sanitation. At the same time, however, she says online harassment alongside physical, sexual and verbal abuse,remains a major barrier to women’s digital participation and empowerment.
She narrates how global news shapes perceptions of women’s roles in India and stories of women leading in areas such as technology, politics, sports, and activism-which inspire her and others to forge new paths. This example encourages parents, especially parents of daughters, to promote education and proactive roles in society by resisting suppression. She feels that though government programs through grassroots organizations are complex yet beneficial in terms of affording new opportunities regarding education and entrepreneurship, the same tends to maintain a delicate balance with intrinsic cultural values.That women of today want to strike a balance between career goals and tradition. In short, according to her, these global influences are gradually and incrementally breaking barriers for Indian women and hence can be viewed optimistically.
While the Zoom format allowed for this insightful cross-cultural exchange, an in-person interview might have provided richer non-verbal communication and a deeper personal connection as in previous interviews. However, the convenience and accessibility of Zoom, and cost-effectiveness made this valuable conversation possible despite geographical barriers and potential technical disruptions.
As I conclude this blog, drawing from Holstein & Gubrium(1995)Sage Research Methods – The Active Interview – Introduction interviews allow detailed comprehension of complex social dynamics through varied voices and shared stories. Interviews allow participants to voice diverse perspectives; these are also interviews that act as a form of mental support, an activity of collaborative meaning construction. Active interviewing, characterized by listening on both sides, builds trust for genuine interaction. However, one must keep in mind ethical issues such as informed consent, privacy, and issues of bias. At the core,an interview is a crucial research and life tool that facilitates the documentation of human interaction for future reflection and reference.
P.S. The in-person interview was conducted in English, while the Zoom interview included both English and Tamil. Informed consent obtained through verbal agreement.
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REFERENCES:
Appadurai, A. (1996). Modernity at large: Cultural dimensions of globalization. U of Minnesota P.
Gustafsson,S.M., Klysing, A., Lindqvist, A., & Renström, E. A. (2019). The (not so) changing man: Dynamic gender stereotypes in Sweden. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, Article 37. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.0003
Harding, T. (2022). Culture wars? The (re) politicization of Swedish cultural policy. Cultural Trends, 31(2), 115-132.
Holstein, J., & Gubrium, J. (1995). Introduction. In The Active Interview (pp. 1-6). SAGE Publications, Inc., https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412986120
Mohanty, C. Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses. Fem Rev 30, 61–88 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1057/fr.1988.42
Spivak, G. C. (2023). Can the subaltern speak?. In Imperialism (pp. 171-219). Routledge.