Fusing horizons in qualitative research: Gadamer and cultural resonances

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this article, I explore the intersection between Hans Georg Gadamer’s ‘fusion of horizons’ and interpreter’s ‘prejudices,’ together with the concept of cultural resonances as they pertain to qualitative research in psychology. I define cultural resonances as the researcher’s different cultural associations and/or connotations (e.g., myths, legends, popular media references), that emerge in an interpretive encounter with a text. Through a reading of Gadamer’s theory, I further explain how cultural resonances are contained within what he referred to as the interpreter’s language, prejudice, horizon, and play. Therefore, inspired by Gadamer’s assertion that understanding is always a process in which different worlds of knowledge (horizons) fuse together, and with reference to psychoanalytic reverie, Boesch’s concepts of cultural psychology, and narrative theory, I discuss cultural resonances as a horizon that inevitably unfolds in qualitative research. Finally, relying on the different topics discussed in the article, I offer a Gadamer-inspired framework for using cultural resonances in qualitative interpretation. The limitations of this framework, as well as its advantages, are discussed, with regard to reflexivity, power, rigor, and cultural sensitivity.