Gewöhnliches sagen – Außergewöhnliches hören? Auf Basis von Interviews zum Thema Selbermachen forschen
Telling the Ordinary – Hearing the Extraordinary? On Researching Do-it-Yourself with Interviews

Summary/Abstract: Why do people in various circumstances produce things by themselves? How do they integrate this making in their systems of significance? Inspired by the currently noticeable trend to Do-it-yourself (DIY) I describe the phenomenon handicraft in two research fields: firstly in ‘classical’ areas, such as the so-called ‘female’ craft and the – traditionally more ‘male’ associated – building or repairing in the house and garden; secondly in the (new) niche economy where craftspeople put their products on sale. Furthermore, I am also interested in artistic-social-political activities which under the buzz word Radical Crafting get some quite public attention at present. As regards the actual DIY-wave, I find its ambivalence especially remarkable. DIY may be placed near neo-liberal claimed concepts of living and working – entrepreneurship, individual responsibility, also in the sense of self-therapy. At the same time it may be interpreted as an expression of resistance: as (partial) anti-consumerism, as an individual contribution to sustainability, as a social/political statement, as an element of an independent, freer lifestyle. With her work and her personality Kristina Popova taught us about reflecting scientific work, and she accompanied and motivated us concerning methodology and specific methods. So this text will present some interim results of researching DIY, but will be focussed on methodical challenges and experiences with narrative interviews.

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