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Some Methodological and Epistemological Issues Raised by Doing Feminist Research on Non-Feminist Women

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  • D. Millen

Abstract

Feminism is a powerful conceptual tool for critiquing traditional sociological research, but notions of conducting ‘feminist research’ may contain some unchallenged assumptions about who should be researched and which methodologies are used. Two key concepts within feminist research - empowerment of women and the equality of the research relationship - are interrogated in the light of research conducted on a population of women unsympathetic to feminism and constructions of gender. This research suggests that whilst there is a need to conduct gender-sensitive work, too orthodox a definition of feminist research may inhibit rather than facilitate research which could lead to helpful insights for women. A better strategy might be to site the conflict in epistemology, rather than methodology, and to define feminist research in terms of values which it might uphold rather than techniques it might use. Doing feminist research on unsympathetic populations can lead to conflicts between the researcher and participant's construction of the meaning of gendered experience. Researchers can justify their accounts with reference to feminist ‘successor sciences’ which have been postulated as an alternative to traditional positivistic rationalism. In the context of this study both feminist standpoint theory and feminist postmodernism are considered as useful justifications for the decisions taken in the research.

Suggested Citation

  • D. Millen, 1997. "Some Methodological and Epistemological Issues Raised by Doing Feminist Research on Non-Feminist Women," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 2(3), pages 114-128, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:socres:v:2:y:1997:i:3:p:114-128
    DOI: 10.5153/sro.1351
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Alison Bowes, 1996. "‘Evaluating an Empowering Research Strategy: Reflections on Action-Research with South Asian Women’," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 1(1), pages 30-45, March.
    2. B. Humphries, 1997. "From Critical Thought to Emancipatory Action: Contradictory Research Goals?," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 2(1), pages 20-27, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Çela Eriada, 2015. "Am I an Active Citizen? Women’s Narratives of Citizenship Practices in Albania," Croatian International Relations Review, Sciendo, vol. 21(73), pages 109-129, August.
    2. Gayle Letherby, 2002. "‘Claims and Disclaimers: Knowledge, Reflexivity and Representation in Feminist Research’," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 6(4), pages 81-93, February.
    3. Darya Malyutina, 2014. "Reflections on Positionality from a Russian Woman Interviewing Russian-Speaking Women in London," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 19(4), pages 122-134, December.
    4. Kathryn Haynes, 2008. "Moving the gender agenda or stirring chicken's entrails?," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 21(4), pages 539-555, May.
    5. Sam Pryke, 2004. "‘Some of Our People can be the Most Difficult’. Reflections on Difficult Interviews," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 9(1), pages 1-12, February.

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