Feminist Methodologies

Abstract

Feminist methodologies refer to the theoretical underpinning of the practices, procedures, and rules used by feminists to conduct research. The particular contributions made by feminist geographers to debates on feminist methodologies relate to the intersections of space, power, and knowledge. These contributions are fourfold: spatializing existing feminist approaches to knowledge production; new spatialized contributions to feminist methodologies; engagements with methodological practices that speak to the valorizing of epistemology over praxis; and debates on methods, particularly quantitative versus qualitative approaches.

Camp methodologies: The “how” of studying camps

“…Methodology, broadly defined, typically encompasses the philosophical and conceptual underpinnings of research, including the questions asked, the categories employed, the rationale for choosing specific methods (i.e., techniques of data generation), the modes of analysis and interpretation, and how all of it is presented, written, or otherwise shared with audiences. Questions of ethics and power are always key in these processes, not least given the power relations inherent in academic research and the wider uneven geographies in which scholars and their institutions are situated (Daley, 2021; Peake, 2017). As geographers we consider it especially important to reflect on how the particularities of place and power in varied locations shape our methodological choices and the possibilities of research.…”

Designing for change through “reflecting and doing”: the CGIAR Community of Practice on Gender-Transformative Research Methodologies

“…One way is through the development of a diversity of methods 6 for researchers to better understand the root causes of gaps, inequities and biases in their efforts toward social justice and gender equality in the heterogeneous contexts where CGIAR works. A second way is for researchers to consciously include members of vulnerable and marginalized communities in ways that are culturally appropriate while committing to reduce power inequalities, i.e., by adopting a role of co-creators and facilitators of change (Peake, 2017;Mertens, 2021). This recognizes and values them as (co)creators of change while contributing to their empowerment by developing a sense of ownership in the knowledge creation.…”