This focused collection of original articles addresses the global dynamics of qualitative inquiry and the contextual dimensions within which such inquiry takes place. Contributions from many of the world's leading qualitative researchers in communications, education, sociology, and related disciplines focus on the changing landscape of social media, human rights, the Global South, and decolonizing methodologies, and guide the field toward a more engaged, global perspective. Chapters were developed from plenary sessions of the Eighth International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry (2012).