The data and methodology of Harvey Sacks: Lessons from the archive

Abstract

Abstract Despite Harvey Sacks death over 40 years ago, his work continues to be a major influence gaining ever more attention across the social sciences. Although he published relatively few papers during his lifetime, Sacks work was central to the establishment and continued development of a number of major research approaches. While his published work continues to provide a rich resource for contemporary research there remains much within his published lectures which has not received attention, even less attention has been given to his archive. However, Sacks published lectures and archive provide, not only a fascinating window into the early development of Ethnomethodology and Conversation Analysis, but also a valuable point of reflection for contemporary research and disciplinary debates. While the lectures and archive remain of historical interest the focus of this paper is not so much on these as historical artifacts but in how these resources provide a timely contribution to contemporary methodological challenges in the face of new forms of data and phenomena across the social sciences. In drawing on his lectures and archive the discussion focuses on Sacks as an imaginative, innovative and wide-ranging methodologist-in-action interested in the study of social life, wherever that could be captured.