Issues of Gender, Reflexivity and Positionality in the Field of Disability

Abstract

This article examines how the social and cultural context influence the way in which field research methods are utilized. Research methods need to be modified to meet the sensibilities and sensitivities of particular social groups and settings. Through a reflexive analysis of a research study on the lives of visually impaired young people and adults in Bahrain, this article discusses how gender, religion and culture need to be taken account of. It also discusses how the research process needed to take account of the participants' disabilities. It examines the issues of research access, informed consent, researcher's dress, confidentiality, research location, and time. It highlights how the gender of the researcher was constraining in some gender segregated educational settings in a Muslim society. The article engages with the researcher's positionality through reflexive discussion.

Centering embodiment in disability research through performance ethnography

“…These scholars have argued that such concerns should be central to a more critically engaged model of social work research. To that end, they have rendered explicit their own histories and backgrounds (Beresford and Boxall, 2012;Chenoweth, 2016) and have reflected on their own positionality as researchers that often maintain both "insider" and "outsider" status (Ahmed et al, 2011;Jones, 2004; see also Gibson and Abrams, 2003). They have also shown a sensitivity to intersectionality-both their own intersectional identities and those of their disabled interlocutors (Ahmed et al, 2011).…”

Courtyard Housing in Tripoli: Tradition, Modernity and Users’ Perceptions

“…Gender issues need to be considered in all research and appropriate methods and processes chosen, since cultural and social norms elicit certain expectations from researchers and participants in terms of gender (Ahmed et al, 2011;Altorki, 1994).…”

“…Where there is trust, for some interviewees, the interview can be a positive experience as they get the opportunity to talk about their lives, personal experiences and stories. However, interviewees will not talk in this way unless they trust the interviewer (Ahmed et al, 2011). There were assumptions I made as a researcher regarding access and positionality that relate to the concept of insider/outsider.…”

“…It also part of the production of knowledge (Shaw & Gould, 2001). Reflexivity has been increasingly recognized as a crucial strategy in the process of generating knowledge by means of qualitative research (Berger, 2015;Ahmed et al, 2011;Pante, 2014;Rayn et al, 2011;Merriam et al, 2001). Questions about reflexivity are part of a broader debate about ontological, epistemological and 'axiological components' of the self, 'inter-subjectivity' and the 'colonization of knowledge' (Berger, 2015:220).…”

“…And, in considering reflexivity, researchers cannot avoid having an impact on the process of research. The aim is to highlight the researcher's impact in knowledge production (Ahmed, et al, 2011). because respondents may be more willing to share their experiences with a researcher whom they perceive as sympathetic to their situation.…”