Counter-talk as symbolic boundary drawing: Challenging legitimate cultural practices in individual and focus group interviews in the lower regions of social space

In qualitative interviews, challenges such as deviations from the topic, interruptions, silences or counter-questions are inevitable. It is debatable whether researcher should try to alleviate them consider important indicators of power relations. this methodological article, we adopt latter view and examine episodes counter-talk that emerge in interviews on cultural practices among underprivileged popular classes by drawing 49 individual focus group conducted highly egalitarian context Finland. Our main aim demonstrate how emerging interview situations could be fruitfully analysed moral boundary drawing. We identify three types counter-talk: resisting situation, interviewer. While first type unites many typical inherent interviewing general (silences, topic so forth), second one shows explicit taste distinctions an feature counter-talk, yet interviewees mostly discuss something belonging personal sphere. Finally, third reveals strongest clearest stemmed interviewees’ attitudes towards interviewer herself. argue given more importance a key element interview. all crucial properly understanding relations boundaries present particularly good tease out.