‘Stranger’ in a strange land: a phenomenological approach to historical cross-cultural research

We adopt Schütz’s phenomenological approach to address the obstacle of undertaking empirical historical research where archival material is limited, or absent. As a philosophy, operationalised through the ‘Stranger’ – an individual who enters an unfamiliar social world – our phenomenological approach contributes to greater levels of historiographical reflexivity and dual integrity advocated in business history research. We research the past through empirical work undertaken by the lead author who, in the absence of archives, conducted interviews with senior managers across a range of industries and businesses to explore how the traditions and values of the indigenous people (Imazighen) have influenced management practice in Morocco. Our abductive exploration demonstrates how the ‘Stranger’ becomes a valuable cross-cultural research tool, enabling the researcher to enter the ‘lived reality’ of those who experience the phenomenon under investigation, and to do history in a way that allows the voices of the silenced to be heard.