Historical Method in Consumer Research: Developing Causal Explanations of Change

Historical research provides a qualitative interpretive method uniquely formulated to explain the causes of change through time. As such, it offers considerable potential for expanding our current understanding of inherently dynamic and volatile consumer phenomena. Despite recent interest in interpretive approaches among consumer researchers, the historical consumer behavior literature reveals that this method's potential has not been fully realized. We argue that this underutilization derives from the absence of a full explication of history's methodological assumptions and requirements, which are substantially different from those that have traditionally dominated consumer research. We address this problem by providing a conceptual and methodological review of historical research methods and by demonstrating the application of historical method to the study of change in consumer behavior. Copyright 1993 by the University of Chicago.