Hermeneutic Thematic Analysis: Anchoring Thematic Analysis in Hermeneutic Philosophy

Thematic analysis (TA) is widely used in qualitative research, but its methodological flexibility has also led to inconsistent integration of hermeneutic principles. In many studies, concepts such as pre-understanding or the hermeneutic circle are invoked at a general or declarative level, while analytic procedures remain descriptive or pattern oriented. As a result, the dialogical, historically situated, and meaning-constituting nature of interpretation, the core of hermeneutic philosophy, often remains underdeveloped. This article introduces Hermeneutic Thematic Analysis (HTA), a methodological model that systematically grounds TA within philosophical hermeneutics and extends reflexive thematic analysis. Drawing on Gadamer’s account of dialogical understanding and Ricoeur’s theory of distanciation and refiguration, HTA reframes TA as an iterative movement of pre-understanding, part–whole interpretation, fusion of horizons, and interpretive synthesis. Developed through an abductive process combining hermeneutic reading and conceptual clarification, HTA retains the accessible structure of TA while reconceptualizing the analytic work often referred to as coding, theme development, and interpretation in explicitly hermeneutic terms. An empirical example illustrates how HTA uncovers existential meaning embedded in everyday narrative expressions. HTA offers a philosophically coherent, transparent, and practically applicable framework for researchers who wish to conduct TA within hermeneutic traditions. By operationalizing hermeneutic principles as analytic guidelines, HTA advances interpretive qualitative methodology and strengthens the methodological foundations for meaning-oriented inquiry.