Mobile interviewing: Harnessing the significance of place in identity research

Mobile interviewing is a relatively new qualitative research method in social sciences that has been developed at the crossroads of the ‘new mobilities paradigm’ and the ‘spatial turn’. It involves a researcher interviewing research participants while moving through local spaces. Having the potential to capture individuals’ lived experience in situ, mobile interviews help evaluate how they comprehend and engage with their social and material environments in everyday life and how this influences individuals’ identity construction. Various forms of this method have been used in other disciplines, such as geography and health sciences. Yet, despite its merits for understanding individuals’ identity formation, the use of mobile interviewing in organization studies and, in particular, in identity research has been so far scant. This chapter introduces mobile interviewing, outlines its theoretical background, relevance, and importance to identity research, and provides practical considerations to bear in mind when conducting this method.