Interpretivist Methods and Military Intervention Research: Using Interview Research to De-centre the ‘Intervener’

This chapter covers the case of Casey McNeill's research on the US Africa Command (AFRICOM). It describes the mismatches that often exist between the intervention's official narrative of its purpose and the actual priorities and practices encountered in interviews at the headquarters. It also emphasizes how intervention research based on published material such as the intervening organization's self-descriptions, documents, and evaluations can be misguiding in understanding how staff do their day-to-day work. The chapter offers useful strategies on how to overcome challenges in interviews with the help of interpretivist methodologies. It also explains how interpretivist methodology influenced McNeill's interview research with personnel at the AFRICOM.