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Letter to the Editor

Social Science Editor, Canadian Journal on Gerontology

Address correspondence to Dr. Ingrid A. Connidis, University of Western Ontairo, Department of Sociology, London, Ontairo, N6A 5C2, Canada. E-mail: connidis{at}uwo.ca

Dear Editor:

How refreshing it was to read the succinct argument for both qualitative and quantitative research methods in your editorial (May 2005, p. S117). Your poetic and compelling call to remember the humanity behind the numbers and to see the faces of our subjects will be a very useful start for class discussions of research on aging.

The article by Simon Biggs that followed the editorial, though decidedly less succinct, prompts readers to consider what we take for granted. It raises questions that are often impossible to answer or fully resolve, but his provocation encourages us to be more self-aware and thoughtful writers, researchers, and teachers. As a reader, I felt like the silent partner in a debate, eager to be able to discuss points that he raised, sometimes with an affirmative declaration, other times with an opposing point of view. I found myself thinking "but what about ...?" or "did you consider work by ... (Erving Goffman sprang to my mind)?" I deem these good responses to a piece of writing, indicators of its value for discussion in a graduate seminar or conference session.

In a letter to the editor there is not room for real debate on multiple issues. Let me simply list some summary statements and questions by Biggs that strike me as pivotal to the work that we do:

"Is there ... something special about later life, and, if so, how can we tell?" (p. S122);

"'Allowing the data to speak' [for themselves] ... runs the risk of ... avoiding a researcher's own critical responsibility" (p. S124); and

"We need to get better ... at recognizing what we desire, wish to avoid, fix, and change with respect to personal, social, and interpersonal aspects of later life and intergenerational exchange." (p. S125)

Finally, I share Biggs' cautious optimism for our capacity to understand the other.

I look forward to more pieces in our section of the Journals on Gerontology that challenge us to consider how we approach the study of aging and that value and encourage the understanding that comes from including both qualitative and quantitative research.

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