Les entretiens informels

Informal interviews The formal interview used with people from the underclass often leads to the confrontation of two worlds: the ordinary world embodied by the sociologist, and the world of survival emergency experienced by the person being interviewed. Sometimes this gap between interviewer and respondent can get so large that the interaction produces onirism, stereotyped stories, reactions of violence, and a resistance to being questioned. To overcome these problems with interviewing in these circumstances, we propose an approach inspired by the sociologists of the Chicago School: using informal interviews. Using a method of oriented conversation, the sociologist adjusts the interview topics so the interaction more closely resembles a conversation. This approach has a better chance of establishing a relationship based on common humanity.