Black Women's Positionality in Pushing Qualitative Research

• In Event: Reclaiming Positionality as Methodological Praxis for Truth-Telling in Education Research

Abstract

Higher education and research practices historically center whiteness as the base and standard (Stewart & Nicolazzo, 2018; Villenas, 1996). This session overviews how a researcher’s positionality can mitigate this problematic past. Using one study conducted with five Black women doctoral students participating in a sista circle I highlight how my positionality as a Black feminist and Black woman doctoral student helped enrich the study and help remove the veil of whiteness that is often present in the research process. I present lessons learned from doing qualitative research centering the community practices of Black women doctoral students using sista circle methodology. I outline how using member check-ins and how shifting methods to align with participants enhances a study and mitigates the harm of whiteness that is rooted in qualitative research.

The lessons learned are derived from a larger study with five Black women doctoral students during the 2020-2021 academic year. The data are from five sista circle gatherings, a group member check-in, and individual member check-in interviews all conducted on Zoom. Qualitative scholars can learn insights on how to align their methods and methodologies with marginalized communities in ways that give back and enrich the experience for participants and the researcher.

Black feminist thought (BFT) guided the research process and lessons learned. Collins (1986) stated that Black women occupy an insider-outsider perspective that allows them unique insights into their analysis of race, class, and gender. BFT helped push me to center Black women doctoral students’ voices, perspectives, and knowledge at all stages in the research process. The intellectual work necessary to push BFT relies on the process of self-conscious struggle on behalf of all Black women, without regard to the location in which the knowledge production occurs. Collins (2000) breaks down what it means for Black women to be connected by stating that we are able to “recognize connectedness as a primary way of knowing, simply because we have more opportunities to do so and must rely upon it more heavily than others” (p. 260). I invited my sista scholars into the analysis process to highlight their knowledge and insights on their experiences in the academy and on being in community with other Black women. To value the knowledge claims of Black women, research must align with the values and how Black women share knowledge.

As a Black feminist, it was important to me to center care within my research, it did not take away from the rich data I collected. Research can feel good for participants and researchers. The feelings of research participants are important to center in research. Setting up a study to be objective and distant from the communities being researched does not always yield the best results and promote good feelings for the participants. Using a culturally congruent methodology, allowed the sista scholars in this study to not feel as if they were being studied. Researchers should take note and continue to push research methodologies and methods that align with their participants and themselves.

Author

• Dajanae Palmer, University of Missouri
  Presenting Author