Doing Research in Shifting Cultural Sands: Implications for Positionality and Reflexivity in Qualitative Methods

• In Event: Friday Roundtable Session 7:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: (Re)visiting Reflexivity: Positions, Relations, and Contexts (Table 6)

Abstract

There has been an increased spotlight on positionality and reflexivity across qualitative and quantitative research, with some academic journals requiring positionality statements. Scholarship has made significant strides in conceptualizing positionality and reflexivity and providing recommendations for practice. We expand on prior work by conceptualizing positionality and reflexivity as fluid and context dependent. Here, we use an existing project on school policing as an illustrative case study. Drawing on an ecological systems perspective (Bronfenbrenner, 1979), we focus on how social, historical, and political forces shape the meaning and significance of the researcher’s social identity and position in relation to their research. As these forces shift, so does the researcher’s relationship to all aspects of their research, including topic, setting, and participants.

Authors

• Bryan Thornton, California State University - Los Angeles

• Negin Ghavami, Loyola Marymount University

• Sandra Graham, University of California - Los Angeles