Researching the “Other”: Power and Positionality in the Research Process

• In Event: Roundtable Session 9
  In Roundtable Session: Critical Race Theory Autoethnography: Narratives Related to Race and Qualitative Research

Abstract

This paper seeks to address the questions posed by the theme of this year’s AERA conference through an exploration of educational research methodologies in marginalized communities. The authors draw on their research with teachers in a Mayan community in Guatemala, minority ethnic women from Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi backgrounds, and Gypsy/Traveller women. This paper explores intersectionality as a framework for understanding and analyzing the relationships between researchers and participants and the possibilities of humanizing research (Paris & Winn, 2014). The authors examine the possibilities and limitations of educational research being “empowering” through an exploration of power, positionality and research tensions using the authors’ own research experiences as a guide.

Authors

• Alexandra Allweiss, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Kalwant Bhopal, University of Southampton