Mormonism and Becoming a Social Worker: Applying an Intersectional Lens During Qualitative Data Analysis

Abstract

This article demonstrates how to apply intersectionality as a lens during qualitative data analysis of a collective autoethnography study conducted by five social work practitioners and researchers who no longer religiously identify with the Mormon faith in which they were raised. The article presents methods and provides examples of analyzing the intersectionality of a phenomenon, using gender as the primary positionality. This intersectional analysis is conducted through organizational, representational, intersubjective, and experiential domains. This type of analysis provides a more nuanced portrayal of the lived experience of a given phenomenon. In this case, the intersection of religious identity and the positionality of social work could not be understood without intersectional analysis of the gendered experience.