ERIC Number: EJ1063547
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0954-0253
EISSN: N/A
Researching Female Professors: The Difficulties of Representation, Positionality and Power in Feminist Research
Hoskins, Kate
Gender and Education, v27 n4 p393-411 2015
This article draws on findings from my doctoral research to exemplify some of the difficulties I encountered when interviewing 20 female professors and subsequently writing about their life histories. In this article, I discuss how I addressed the issues of representing and positioning my participants, and I reflect on the power dynamics present in the research process. The article contends that by drawing on Bourdieu and Wacquant's ["An Invitation to Reflexive Sociology." Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press] understanding of reflexivity and feminist interpretations of their work including McNay ["Gender, Habitus and the Field: Pierre Bourdieu and the Limits of Reflexivity." "Theory Culture Society" 16: 95] and Adkins ["Reflexivity Freedom or Habit of Gender?" "Theory Culture Society" 20: 21], valuable research can be produced, despite the difficulties. A related aim of this paper is to reflect back after four years in an academic post on my position as a novice researcher, and some of the associated issues facing doctoral students, particularly the problems with researching upwards [Walford, G. 2011. "Researching the Powerful. British Educational Research Association On-line Resource." Accessed March 17, 2014. www.bera.ac.uk/system/files/Researching%20the%20Powerful.pdfWalford 2011].
Descriptors: Interviews, College Faculty, Women Faculty, Teacher Attitudes, Power Structure, Researchers, Novices, Feminism, Work Environment, Politics, Teacher Characteristics
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A