Conducting Critical Qualitative Research Peacefully: Peace Methodology in LGBTQ Studies

• In Event: Roundtable Session 25
  In Roundtable Session: From Theory to Practice in Peace Education

Abstract

I used a critical participatory action research approach to work with LGBTQ-identifying youth who engaged in efforts to bring their own experiences back to local high schools in the Midwest where identification/perceived identification with non-heterosexual, counter-gender performances is the number one explanation for bullying at secondary schools. The research included observations, interviews, and other materials collected over an academic year. In this paper, I turn the focus back on the methodology by analyzing research moments in order to consider what it means to engage both critically and peacefully in our methodology. The analyses suggest a typology of peace methodologies useful for also lodging a critique of what hinders peace in qualitative research.

Author

• Barbara Dennis, Indiana University