Biograficzne epifanie w kontekście tworzenia podstaw jakościowego kolektywu myślowego

Abstract

Several autobiographical stories presented during a discussion panel held at the Second International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, May 4-6, 2006) provoke me to think over the use of the idea of “epiphany” as it appears in the context of developing the qualitative thought-collective. Widely recognized researchers, such as Yvonna Lincoln, Carolyn Ellis, Norman K. Denzin, Laurel Richardson and Arthur P. Bochner, consider their own epiphanies as the particular turning points affecting their private (“non-professional”) as well as “professional” lives. But what exactly does it mean to experience the moment of epiphany? What is the difference between epiphany and illumination? In what ways can epiphany actually change our lives? And finally, can we distinguish any special forms of scientific epiphanies? I pose these essential questions trying to analyze the role individuals play in the process of constructing new fields of knowledge.