Resisting Whiteness: Autoethnography and the Dialectics of Ethnicity and Privilege

Feeling Like Feminist Frauds: Theorizing Feminist Accountability in Feminist Family Studies Research in a Neoliberal, Postfeminist Context

“…This begs the question: How do we examine race/ethnicity (or any other category—stepfamilies, singles, etc.) “in ways that do not reify the very categories we seek to abolish?” (Blume & De Reus, , p. 210).…”

“…2 In an era of 2 We have been inspired by Lloyd, Few, and Allen's (2007) charge that "feminism requires accountability by researchers" (p. 448). A thread of accountability was evident in virtually all feminist-informed methodological articles and book chapters in family studies (e.g., Allen, 2004;Baber, 2004;Blume & De Reus, 2009;McDowell & Fang, 2007;Menon, 2009;Thompson, 1992;van Eeden-Moorefield & Proulx, 2009;Walker, 2004) but was not the explicit focus of any of these. accountability in the academy, our use of feminist accountability is in sharp contrast to the neoliberal (i.e., individualist, free-market-based ideology) economic accountability that is permeating universities.…”

“…Responding to this truism and knowing that some guidance is helpful, we borrowed from Lather's (2007) "miming" of checklists to promote "visibility and enunciation" (p. 129) while avoiding the appearance of prescribing an approach. Table 1 provides a checklist of broad considerations for feminist research; Table 2 offers a more focused checklist that identifies specific feminist-accountable research practices; and Table 3 recommends practices and resources Allen, 2004;Oswald et al, 2009;Sollie & Leslie, 1994;Thompson, 1992. Thompson, 1992 Taking into account how individuals collude and resist oppressive structures in analysis Lloyd, Emery, & Klatt, 2009 Interrogating oneself Allen, 2000;Blume & De Reus, 2009 Acknowledging and articulating feminist epistemology Thompson, 1992 Disrupting structures/avoiding reifying categories Oswald, Kuvalunka, Blume, & Berkowitz, 2009;Blume & De Reus, 2009 Considering motivations for research Few, 2009;Allen, 2000 Being open about "the problems and compromises involved in doing research" Thompson, 1992, p. 10 Avoiding/minimizing "othering" Oswald et al, 2009 Questioning "the family" Thompson & Walker, 1995 Showcasing complexity, contradictions (offering layered analysis) Walker, 2004 Note. Borrowing from Lather's (2007) response to avoid prescription, we use her tactic of "miming" a checklist to encourage "visibility and enunciation" (p. 129).…”

“…3 Our philosophical and theoretical struggles have been primarily embedded in two key challenges that Allen et al (2009) identified: (a) advances in interdisciplinary theorizing and (b) intersectionality. We first discuss our struggles with broader interdisciplinary epistemological framings (e.g., positivism, postmodernism) Returning to the literature Lloyd, Few, & Allen, 2009;Blume, 2004;Thompson, 1992Engaging in writing Menon, 2009; autoethnographic work such as Blume & De Reus, 2009 Recognizing and minimizing "androcentric inner critic" (internalized sexism) Adams, 2009, p. 236 Acknowledging and questioning one's complicity in oppressive systems Lloyd, Warner, Baber, & Sollie, 2009 Disrupting dualisms, such as "private/public that implicitly privilege men"…”

“…We have been inspired by Lloyd, Few, and Allen's () charge that “feminism requires accountability by researchers” (p. 448). A thread of accountability was evident in virtually all feminist‐informed methodological articles and book chapters in family studies (e.g., Allen, ; Baber, ; Blume & De Reus, ; McDowell & Fang, ; Menon, ; Thompson, ; van Eeden‐Moorefield & Proulx, ; Walker, ) but was not the explicit focus of any of these.…”