Exploring the Dynamics of Subjectivity and Power Between Researcher and Researched

Three studies are described and examined in terms of the power dynamics created through the subjective positions made salient for both researchers and the participants by the research process. The reflexive accounts of these studies are informed by the poststructuralist critique of reflexivity as bo...

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Main Authors: Sarah Riley, Wendy Schouten, Sharon Cahill
Format: Article
Language:deu
Published: FQS 2003-05-01
Series:Forum: Qualitative Social Research
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/713
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author Sarah Riley
Wendy Schouten
Sharon Cahill
author_facet Sarah Riley
Wendy Schouten
Sharon Cahill
author_sort Sarah Riley
collection DOAJ
description Three studies are described and examined in terms of the power dynamics created through the subjective positions made salient for both researchers and the participants by the research process. The reflexive accounts of these studies are informed by the poststructuralist critique of reflexivity as both a truthful representation of the research process and one that can be produced by stable and unitary authors. In this paper subjectivity and power are explored through the use of different narrative styles that work to highlight the contradictory and fragmented nature of reflexivity as a new construction of (a past) reality. In the first investigation a female researcher exploring women's experiences of anger describes the process of taking analysis back to her participants to enhance the researcher's understanding of her data. Taking the approach to reflexivity as one of introspection and collaboration a single narrator tells the tale of conflict and resolution between her subjective positions of feminist-researcher, feminist and researcher. In the second study, a female researcher who interviewed men working in professional employment creates a dialogical inquiry through polyvocality to produce an account of reflexivity as social critique. In particular, she explores the subjective positions created through identities attached to her gender and her role as a researcher. The third study approaches reflexivity as discursive deconstruction and employs non-dialogical polyvocality to explore the multiple and contradictory nature of reflexive understandings created through subjective positions derived from the research experience, nationality and motherhood. In examining the participant-researcher relationships that were enabled or dis-enabled when the researchers inhabited the subjective position of "researcher", the use of three different approaches to reflexivity with correspondingly different narrative styles, produced new understandings of subjectivity and power. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0302400
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spelling doaj.art-c805203aaef04cd984d9f2847b45792c2022-12-22T03:28:58ZdeuFQSForum: Qualitative Social Research1438-56272003-05-0142700Exploring the Dynamics of Subjectivity and Power Between Researcher and ResearchedSarah Riley0Wendy Schouten1Sharon Cahill2University of BathUniversity of BathUniversity of East LondonThree studies are described and examined in terms of the power dynamics created through the subjective positions made salient for both researchers and the participants by the research process. The reflexive accounts of these studies are informed by the poststructuralist critique of reflexivity as both a truthful representation of the research process and one that can be produced by stable and unitary authors. In this paper subjectivity and power are explored through the use of different narrative styles that work to highlight the contradictory and fragmented nature of reflexivity as a new construction of (a past) reality. In the first investigation a female researcher exploring women's experiences of anger describes the process of taking analysis back to her participants to enhance the researcher's understanding of her data. Taking the approach to reflexivity as one of introspection and collaboration a single narrator tells the tale of conflict and resolution between her subjective positions of feminist-researcher, feminist and researcher. In the second study, a female researcher who interviewed men working in professional employment creates a dialogical inquiry through polyvocality to produce an account of reflexivity as social critique. In particular, she explores the subjective positions created through identities attached to her gender and her role as a researcher. The third study approaches reflexivity as discursive deconstruction and employs non-dialogical polyvocality to explore the multiple and contradictory nature of reflexive understandings created through subjective positions derived from the research experience, nationality and motherhood. In examining the participant-researcher relationships that were enabled or dis-enabled when the researchers inhabited the subjective position of "researcher", the use of three different approaches to reflexivity with correspondingly different narrative styles, produced new understandings of subjectivity and power. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0302400http://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/713reflexivitypowersubjectivityfeminismpost structuralismsocial constructionismgenderangerchildcaremasculinities
spellingShingle Sarah Riley
Wendy Schouten
Sharon Cahill
Exploring the Dynamics of Subjectivity and Power Between Researcher and Researched
Forum: Qualitative Social Research
reflexivity
power
subjectivity
feminism
post structuralism
social constructionism
gender
anger
childcare
masculinities
title Exploring the Dynamics of Subjectivity and Power Between Researcher and Researched
title_full Exploring the Dynamics of Subjectivity and Power Between Researcher and Researched
title_fullStr Exploring the Dynamics of Subjectivity and Power Between Researcher and Researched
title_full_unstemmed Exploring the Dynamics of Subjectivity and Power Between Researcher and Researched
title_short Exploring the Dynamics of Subjectivity and Power Between Researcher and Researched
title_sort exploring the dynamics of subjectivity and power between researcher and researched
topic reflexivity
power
subjectivity
feminism
post structuralism
social constructionism
gender
anger
childcare
masculinities
url http://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/713
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AT wendyschouten exploringthedynamicsofsubjectivityandpowerbetweenresearcherandresearched
AT sharoncahill exploringthedynamicsofsubjectivityandpowerbetweenresearcherandresearched