Balancing the quantitative/qualitative divide: A rhythmanalytic review of Seattle’s Black-Owned Restaurants’ experience during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021)

Abstract

The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a surge in quantitative research aimed at comprehending its causes, progression, and spatial-temporal disparities. Nevertheless, there has been significant and ongoing critiques of quantitative approaches in geography since approximately 1970, with prolonged debates regarding the quantitative/qualitative divide lasting for decades. Echoing the appeals for non-binary mediations for this epistemological dichotomy, this Master’s project proposes a new mixed-method approach, which applies rhythmanalysis, a traditionally qualitative analytical framework, on burgeoning big geospatial data. This new approach is comprised of four sequential steps, including 1) choosing the body, 2) identifying the rhythms, 3) measuring the rhythms, and 4) analyzing the polyrhythmia. To demonstrate its utility and feasibility, I designed an empirical study to understand Seattle’s Black-owned restaurants’ experience during the pandemic (2020-2021). The case study proved the viability of the original method and generated a more situated understanding of Seattle’s Black-owned restaurants’ situation during the first two years of the pandemic. This project makes significant theoretical and practical contributions to the discipline and society by introducing a new methodological orientation for more humanistic geographic investigations. Lastly, it is worth noting that, part of the arguments of this thesis is built upon the paper that I co-authored and made significant contributions to in the empirical study and discussion. The paper titled “Black Businesses Matter: A Longitudinal Study of Black-Owned Restaurants in the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Geospatial Big Data” was published in 2022 in the Annals of the American Association of Geographers.