Resumen

BOLIVAR BOTIA, Antonio. "De nobis ipse silemus?": Epistemology of Biographical-Narrative Research in Education. REDIE [online]. 2002, vol.4, n.1, pp.01-26. ISSN 1607-4041.

The article analyzes how biographical-narrative research has currently become a perspective or specific approach in educational research, and not just another qualitative methodology to be added to the rest. It changes the usual concepts about what is considered knowledge in social science and what it is important to know. However, since modern times there has been a methodological deficiency in the justification of this type of research (validity, generalization and reliability). This study gathers and describes the main lines of support for autobiographical accounts, critically analyzing the theoretical and epistemological disputes that have arisen in the last few years (positivism vs. hermeneutics, paradigmatic method vs. narrative data analysis). The paper also deals with the epistemological limitations and problems presented by the defense of a strictly narrative data focus, and how it can be compatible with the paradigmatic ways of knowing.

Palabras llave : Biographical-narrative research; epistemology; qualitative research.