In time, developments in epistemological debates raised questions about the realist
assumptions of the research process that had long been taken for granted. The late 1970s
and early 1980s marked the moment of “blurred genres.” That phrase was coined by the
anthropologist Clifford Geertz (1973), who questioned long-held distinctions between
the social sciences and the humanities. Discussions in research communities focused on
how culture and context could not help but leave their imprint on researched, researchers,
and, of course, on the written products of their research. This moment underscored
that all three are always situated in a particular time, place, social situation and meaning
world (Manning, 1982) to which they are subject. Accordingly, notions of objective
knowledge were challenged, as researchers explored the subjectively constructed dimensions
of social reality. The research process was viewed as an interpretive act, and the
status of written research accounts received serious examination.