Abstract
New computational technologies are finding increasing application in qualitative social research. Prominent amongst these are Grid and High Performance Computing technologies. This chapter considers the potential that such technologies have to benefit the scope, depth and rigour of qualitative research. We argue that it is more than simply a matter of new computational resources. Emergent technologies enable new modes of research, new approaches to analysis, and new relationships between social research and society. Moreover, the emergence of a pervasive computational environment offers a new subject for social science inquiry, raising issues relating to the social shaping of technologies and the role that technology has in shaping society and social relations. Innovative computational developments must not be regarded uncritically.