Abstract

The possibilities and pitfalls of qualitative secondary analysis (QSA) have been the subject of on-going academic debate, linked to the growing availability of qualitative data in digital archives. This article contributes to, and extends these methodological debates, through a critical consideration of how the secondary analysis of linked qualitative longitudinal datasets might be utilised productively in qualitative research design. It outlines the re-use of two linked datasets from the Timescapes archive, that were analysed to develop a new empirical project exploring processes of continuity and change in the context of men’s care responsibilities in low-income localities. Following brief discussion of the substantive outcomes of the analysis, I conclude by arguing that the pitfalls of qualitative secondary analysis, that are complicated further when working with longitudinal data, effectively supports the development of new empirical research and in honestly reporting the process of ‘getting out of the swamp’, in early research development.