Exploring the Experiences of LATT Couples: The Methodological Focus

The 4th chapter aims to present the empirical study conducted primarily in Denmark, with a global outreach comprising 20 LATT couples/40 partners from 18 countries of origin, living in 10 countries. It critiques and moves beyond narrow concepts such as methodological-individualism, nationalism, and conjugalism. The participant selection criteria are delineated as intimate relationship past /current non-cohabiting, and maintaining households in different countries for at least a year. This chapter delineates the couples’ demographics to situate their narratives. It explains the research design, comprising interviews and an interpretive phenomenological analytic approach (Willig, 2019), along with reflections on analytical generalisation and researcher positionality. Ethical principles such as participant autonomy, confidentiality, and avoidance of harm (McLeod, 2011) are emphasised in investigating the sensitive themes of intimacy. Innovatively, it documents the participants’ positive feelings about articulating their experiences and research contributions. Lastly, the five analytic themes are delineated, resulting from an interplay between the empirical narratives and theoretical conceptualisations.