Weaving relationships: A dialogue on the practice of shadowing
This article challenges the imperative of objectivity and detachment that is promoted in qualitative research. Drawing on a dialogue about our shadowing experiences, we demonstrate that this imperative is reflected in the shadow metaphor itself. We propose an alternative metaphor to shadowing as weaving relationships, which highlights the deeply relational and embodied nature of this process and the centrality of the relationship between the researcher (the shadower) and the person being shadowed (the shadowee). This alternative approach offers a more nuanced understanding of the research process.