Cointerpretation

Cointerpretation is the process by which two or more participants jointly derive or negotiate meaning from a text, symbol, performance, or situation. It emphasizes intersubjective meaning that emerges through interaction rather than an interpretation held by a single viewer or author. The term is used across humanities and social sciences to describe collaborative or participatory acts of interpretation, including reader-response in literature, audience interpretation in film and theater, and collaborative analysis in qualitative research. In practice, cointerpretation can involve dialogue, negotiation of context, and the pooling of diverse perspectives to reach a shared understanding, while allowing room for multiple valid readings.

The concept contrasts with solitary interpretation and is often linked to theories of hermeneutics, dialogism, and distributed cognition. Proponents argue it foregrounds social meaning construction and acknowledges situational constraints, cultural backgrounds, and power relations that shape interpretation. Critics warn that without clear boundaries it may lead to relativism or undermine authorial intent or methodological rigor.

Applications include literary criticism where readers’ interpretations inform or reframe a work; art criticism and curatorial practice where public engagement shapes evaluation; and qualitative research where researchers and participants collaboratively code and interpret data. In digital culture, cointerpretation can arise in fan communities, participatory media, and collaborative filtering systems. Etymology: from co- (together) and interpretation. While the precise usage varies, the core idea is that meaning is produced through interaction among interpreters rather than residing solely in a text or author.