Lamont, M., & Swidler, A. (2014). Methodological Pluralism and the Possibilities and Limits of Interviewing. Qualitative Sociology, 37(2), 153–171. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11133-014-9274-z

This 2014 paper by Lamont and Swidler advocates for methodological pluralism in sociology, arguing against the limitations of methodological tribalism. The authors defend interviewing as a valuable research technique, acknowledging its weaknesses while highlighting its strengths in exploring meaning, representations, and cultural ideals. They emphasize the importance of matching methods to research questions, illustrating this with examples from their own work and others. Ultimately, the paper calls for greater methodological innovation to address contemporary challenges, such as incorporating historical and institutional dimensions into research designs.