Intended for students and for researchers who conduct interviews as part of case studies or as ethnography, this book provides a comprehensive, up-to-date introduction to the theory and practice of qualitative interviewing. It shows researchers how to design research based on interview data; to stimulate conversation; to absorb what is being said; and to synthesize, analyze, and present an informed description of the data. The book emphasizes the importance of cultural, contextual, and personal influences on the sharing and unveiling of meaning. It links qualitative interviewing techniques with theories of how people communicate meaning. Following a preface, chapters in the book are: (1) "Listening, Hearing, and Sharing Social Experiences"; (2) "Foundations of Qualitative Interviewing"; (3) "Keeping on Target while Hanging Loose: Designing Qualitative Interviews"; (4) "Choosing Interviewees and Judging What They Say: More Issues in Design for Qualitative Research"; (5) "Building Conversational Partnerships"; (6) "Interviews as Guided Conversations"; (7) "Assembling the Parts: Structuring a Qualitative Interview"; (8) "Hearing about Culture"; (9) "Topical Interviewing"; (10) "What Did You Hear? Data Analysis"; and (11) "Sharing the Results." A list of references, an author index, and a subject index conclude the book. (NKA)