Intersectionality and Reflexivity: Narratives From a BME Female Researcher Inside the Hidden Social World of Prison Visits

Abstract

This article examines the importance of intersectionality; and how this has been influential to analyzing my (the author’s) research journey as a Black Minority Ethnic (African and Asian descent) female researcher, using ethnographic approaches to collate data in three Scottish prisons. Intersectionality is a powerful tool to capture; and to interrogate the realities of fieldwork. It enables researchers to reflect on their social position, in response to the relational dynamics which occur in the field ( Bochner, 1997 ; Ellis & Bochner, 2006 ). Inspired by intersectional scholars, this paper will capture the nuances and complexities of the day to day realities in the field by exploring the importance of social identity. Furthermore, this paper will extend the discussion on social identity by analyzing the lived experiences and emotions occupied in certain spaces in the penal system; and how this has steered the narrative to collating data on the lived experiences of families of prisoners. This paper will capture the pleasantries, celebrations and complexities in conducting research in the waiting rooms of prisons by narrating on three themes: Power; Emotions in the field; and the Outsider within.

Reflexivity of discomfort: Two women outsiders doing sport research in prison

“…Like Adams (2021), fear had a significant presence in our research. Thus, beyond an individual interpretation of fear, we consider it appropriate at this point to adopt a more generic and social perspective, as explained by Monforte and Pérez-Samaniego (2017), that attends to the relational aspect that is generated in a context such as prison.…”

“…Nagore and Nerian are two young white women, with a university education in Sports and Physical Activity Sciences. We are, in a certain way, privileged compared to the prisoners (Adams, 2021) and, by and large, outsiders doing prison research.…”

Revisiting Peshkin: teaching reflexive practice through categorization

“…As noted by Alejandro (2021), there is a great deal of scholarship attempting to support researchers in creating their own "toolbox" for "reflexive research methods" (p. 2). Experts in qualitative research continue to offer insight into both what reflexivity is (Adams, 2021;Ahmed and Buheji, 2018;Henwood et al, 2019) and how to (or how not to) practice it (Alejandro, 2021;Bischoping, 2018;Borgstrom and Ellis, 2021). Within that milieu, Pousti et al (2021) aptly make clear that reflexivity is diversely practiced, taught and written about in qualitative research.…”

Race, Gender, and Positionality in Urban Planning Research

“…Scholars of color have noted how privilege is not unilaterally accrued to all those who study and work in elite institutions. A series of studies have drawn upon intersectionality (Adams, 2021) critical race theory (Fisher, 2015) and the concept of multiple positionalities (Ali, 2015; Mukherjee, 2017; Ruan, 2020; Sultana, 2007). Engaging with the differential experiences of researchers in relation to gender, race, and ethnicity has opened up the assumptions about the identities of researchers and the wider implications for knowledge.…”

“…Engaging with how research and knowledge are subjective experiences, researchers are acknowledged as integral rather than incidental to the research process (England, 1994; Rose, 1997). These insights have been developed through further engagement with intersectionality, particularly from scholars of color, to emphasize the existence of multiple positionalities (Adams, 2021; Mukherjee, 2017; Sultana, 2007). Despite the importance of positionality to reflexive research, the benefits and costs are unevenly distributed.…”