The Art and Science of Portraiture

"The writing is beautiful, the ideas persuasive, and the picture it paints of the process of careful observation is one that every writer should read. . . . A rich and wonderful book."
—American Journal of Education

A landmark contribution to the field of research methodology, this remarkable book illuminates the origins, purposes, and features of portraiture—placing it within the larger discourse on social science inquiry and mapping it onto the broader terrain of qualitative research.

The Author ix

Acknowledgments xi

Introduction: The Frame xv

Chapter One: A View of the Whole: Origins and Purposes 1

Chapter Two: Perspective Taking: Discovery and Development 19

Chapter Three: On Context 39

Illumination: Framing and Terrain 41

Implementation: Setting the Site 60

Artistic Refrain: Priming the Canvas 74

Chapter Four: On Voice 83

Illumination: Expressing a Point of View 85

Implementation: Defining the Lens 106

Artistic Refrain: Negotiating Perspective 124

Chapter Five: On Relationship 133

Illumination: Navigating Intimacy 135

Implementation: Delaring Boundaries 160

Artistic Refrain: Representing Rapport 175

Chapter Six: On Emergent Themes 183

Illumination: Searching for Patterns 185

Implementation: Naming Convergence 215

Artistic Refrain: Defining Form 232

Chapter Seven: On Aesthetic Whole 241

Illumination: Shaping the Story 243

Implementation: Composing the Narrative 261

Artistic Refrain: Achieving Balance 275

References 283

Index 289

SARA LAWRENCE-LIGHTFOOT, a promminent sociologist and professor, of education at Harvard University, is the author of numerous books including The Good High School, Balm in Gilead, and I've Known Rivers. Winner of the prestigious MacArthur Prize, Lawrence-Lightfoot was recently awarded Harvard's George Ledlie Prize given for research that makes the "most valuable contribution to science" and that "benefits mankind." She has been a Fellow at the Bunting Institute at Radcliffe College and at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University.

JESSICA HOFFMANN DAVIS is the Director of Arts in Education Concentration and a lecturer on education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She was the principal investigator of several arts projects at Harvard Project Zero. Her numerous publications include The MUSE (Museums Uniting with Schools in Education) Book and The Co-Arts Assessment Handbook.

Portraiture is a method of inquiry that shares some of the features of other qualitative research methods—such as ethnography, case study, and narrative—but it is distinctive in its blending of aesthetics and empiricism in an effort to capture the complexity, dynamics, and subtlety of human experience and organizational life. Portraiture first came to prominence in the works of Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, who used it to document the culture of schools, the life stories of individuals, and the relationships among families, communities, and schools.

The Art and Science of Portraiture illuminates the origins, purposes, and features of portraiture—placing it within the larger discourse on social science inquiry and mapping it onto the broader terrain of qualitative research. It delineates the processes, methods, and strategies of research design, data collection, and analysis—underscoring the structure and improvisation, the order and the creativity. It also charts the development of the portrait and the shaping of the narrative, blending literary principles, artistic resonance, and scientific rigor.

A landmark contribution to the field of research methodology and an indispensable resource for the social scientist, this lyric book will also provide general readers with a new and illuminating way of viewing the world.