— with Zozan Baran (FU Berlin), Samuel Zewdie Hagos (DeZIM), and Georg von Richthofen (HIIG)
When: March 19, 2026, 9am–12pm
Where: WI Flexroom (A1_04); in-person only
Level: Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced
Category: Data collection
Seats: 20
Abstract: Qualitative interviews are a key method for generating in-depth insights into perspectives, experiences, practices, and processes of meaning-making. Interviews can take very different forms, such as narrative, semi-structured, expert or problem-centered, and require careful methodological reflection as well as practical skills in their design and implementation. This workshop focuses on these practical and methodological dimensions of interview-based research through hands-on reflection and exchange.
The workshop will begin with short inputs from three invited experts: Zozan Baran (FU Berlin), Samuel Hagos (DeZIM), and Georg von Richthofen (HIIG). Drawing on their own research experience with qualitative interviews, they will reflect on practical aspects of interview-based research, including planning and preparing interviews, conducting interviews in different contexts, training interviewers, and dealing with challenging situations in the field.
Following the expert inputs, the workshop will open into a moderated discussion in which participants are invited to bring their own projects, methodological questions, and fieldwork experiences for collective reflection. The aim is to create a space for methodological exchange that connects practical experience with critical discussion, enabling participants to share best practices and lessons learned from qualitative interview research.
The workshop is open to researchers at different career stages, from those preparing their first qualitative interviews to experienced scholars interested in reflecting on and exchanging interview practices.
Zozan Baran is a PhD candidate at the FU Berlin Sociology Department. Her research focuses on how digital public spheres and social media platforms shape translocal networks, political mobilization, and the negotiation of contested spaces.
Dr. Samuel Zewdie Hagos is a researcher at DeZIM Migration Department. His research focuses on focuses on critical issues such as climate change-induced displacement, the agency roles of refugees and the lived experiences of refugees.
Dr. Georg von Richthofen is senior researcher and project lead at the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG) in the research program “Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Society”. In the project “Generative AI in the Workplace”, he investigates employees’ experiences with generative AI systems and analyzes the potential impacts of these technologies on work practices.