Research with diverse communities – researchers’ positionality and ethics
There is an increasing interest to conduct research with participatory and community-based approaches. What are the roles and positionalities of researchers in these type of research projects with diverse communities? What needs to be considered while facilitating projects together with research participants?
These themes have been discussed and reflected in seminars and in written assignments in a course of Methods and practices in community based work (Master’s Degree programme in Global Change and Community Development) in fall 2023.
Position and positionalities of researchers
While conducting research with diverse communities, it is essential that both students and researchers think of their own role and positionality: what are their roots and life course, what are their communities and values. Consequently, researchers need to critically assess “the self”, power and positionality in relation to the communities and people in their research (Fenge, Oakley, Taylor, &Beer, 2019, p. 3). According to Fenge et al. (2019, p. 3), “positionality relates to an acknowledgement of the multiple roles and positions that researchers and research participants bring to the research process”.
In the edited book by Burkholder, Aladejebi and Schwab-Cartas (2022a), different researchers described their position with variety of positionalities. Some researchers considered them having a “position of privilege as a researcher” even having an immigrant background (Yeung, 2022, p. 95). Researchers’ positionality may have an impact to our understanding of diversity and how to consider ethical issues in research processes (Tang & Gube, 2022, p. 256). In addition, Tang and Gube (2022) wonder what kind of a dilemma there might be to use different concepts, such as “ethnic minorities” or “non-Chinese speaking person” when describing researchers and research participants.
We can reflect why the authors have chosen specially these positions to describe themselves. The socioeconomic status is not mentioned so often even it is diving different groups of people. Burkholder et al. (2022b, pp. 279) emphasise that when race is considered as “an identifying marker in research facilitation, researcher positionality and confrontations about the ways race is understood in varying social contexts is critical” (Burkholder et al., 2022b, pp. 279). Thus, it is important to know the researched community and understand the realities in which the community members live. Moreover, researcher need to be transparent, accountable, and listen to the participants during the research process. (Burkholder, Aladejebi & Schwab-Cartas, 2022b, p. 282; Goddard-Durant et al., 2022, pp. 26–27).
Power dynamics
Sometimes research facilitation dismantles harmful power dynamics and oppressive spaces (Burkholde et al., 2022a; Vanner et al., 2022). However, it also enables peer education and peer support (Vanner et al., 2022, pp.236–237). Concept of decolonizing can be a main aim and value in research facilitation but it also requires a lot of self-reflection and critical thinking. For example, previous data about African American communities show that if the facilitation is not carefully planned, the participants are not the beneficiaries of the study and the research results can cause harm to them and their communities in later stage. (Burkholder et al., 2022, 17–19.)
The actual research team need to be carefully chosen to be alike of the participants including key informants. The other option is to have research facilitators from the community and employ them to co-facilitate the research. (Goddard et al., 2022; Vanner et al., 2022.) Being transparent and considering what personal qualities may affect the research, will be essential while considering positioning and ethics of the research. As a researcher, it is impossible to identify this with each participant. However, the use of insider knowledge in co-facilitation and participation is vital when considering the various positions.
In planning and implementing a thesis process, it is essential for students to reflect their own role and position.
What students should consider about positionality when writing thesis?
In planning and implementing a thesis process, it is essential for students to reflect their own role and position. This is especially important in qualitative research when interpreting the results but also in quantitative research if the student has certain preconceptions of the topic in advance. From a students’ perspective, there need to be a careful assessment of their own role and positionalities in addition to that of research participants, stakeholders, and organisations. These various positionalities may affect the reliability of the results.
Based on the discussion in this blog, it is important to describe positionality of the student and other participants in the thesis process. On the other hand, it is not so clear where to draw a line what positions and identities are relevant to mention in a research paper. At the same time, it is crucial to pay attention to the emotional safety of students who are doing research with vulnerable group of people (Fenge, Oakley, Taylor, & Beer, 2019) while using community based and participatory approaches.
References
Burkholder, C., Aladejebi, F. & Schwab-Cartas, J. (2022a). Facilitating community research for social change: case studies in qualitative, arts-based and visual research. Routledge.
Burkholder, C., Aladejebi, F. & Schwab-Cartas, J. (2022b). What We Think We Know for Sure. Some Concluding Thoughts on Facilitation. In Burkholder, C., Aladejebi, F. & Schwab-Cartas, J. (Eds.). Facilitating community research for social change: case studies in qualitative, arts-based and visual research. (pp. 277–287). Routledge.
Butsang, T. (2022). Decolonizing from the Roots: A Community-led Approach to critical Qualitative Health Research. In Burkholder, C., Aladejebi, F. & Schwab-Cartas, J. (Eds.). Facilitating community research for social change: case studies in qualitative, arts-based and visual research. (pp. 63–75). Routledge.
Fenge, L.A., Oakley, L., Taylor, B. & Beer, S. (2019). The Impact of Sensitive Research on the Researcher: Preparedness and Positionality. Journal of Qualitative Methods, 18, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069198931
Goddard-Durant, S. K., Doucet, A. & Sieunarine, J-A. (2022) “If You’re Going to Work with Black People, You Have to Think About These Things!” A Case Study of Fostering an Ethical Research Process with a Black Canadian Community. In C. Burkholder, F. Aladejebi & J. Schwab-Cartas (Eds.) Facilitating community research for social change: case studies in qualitative, arts-based and visual research (pp.17–32). Routledge.
Tang, N.M.Y. & Gube, J. (2022). Research Assistants as Knowledge-Producers: Reflections Beyond Fieldwork. In C. Burkholder, F. Aladejebi & J. Schwab-Cartas (Eds.) Facilitating community research for social change: case studies in qualitative, arts-based and visual research (pp.145–160). Routledge.
Vanner, C., Shahzadeh, Y., Holloway, A. Mitchell, C. & Altenberg, J. (2022). Round and Round the Carousel Papers: Facilitating a Visual Interactive Dialogue with Young People. In C. Burkholder, F. Aladejebi & J. Schwab-Cartas (Eds.) Facilitating community research for social change: case studies in qualitative, arts-based and visual research (pp.221–239). Routledge.
Yeung, H. (2022). ”Nah You’re My Sisters for Real!”: Utilizing Instagram and Mobile Phones to Facilitate Feminist Conversations with Asian Migrant Women in Aotearoa. In Burkholder, C., Aladejebi, F. & Schwab-Cartas, J. (Eds.). Facilitating community research for social change: case
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How researchers describe themselves?
• “a diasporic feminist”
• “community organizer”
• “priviledge researcher but othered as coloured women in academia”
• “Asian women”
• “a white Canadian professor”
• “a Black Cariabbian Canadian Phd student”
• “a white settler research vising the (indigenous) community”
• “a local teacher and community scholar”
• “a white queer settler and professor”
• “ a white able-bodied settler Canadian women”
• “a cisgender women, born and raised in Jordan”
(Butsang, 2022; Goddard-Durant, Doucet & Sieunarine, 2022; Yeung, 2022; Vanner, Shahzadeh, Holloway, Mitchell & Altenberg, 2022).