ERIC Number: EJ845926
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1077-8004
EISSN: N/A
Reflexive Positioning in a Politically Sensitive Situation: Dealing with the Threats of Researching the West Bank Settler Experience
Possick, Chaya
Qualitative Inquiry, v15 n5 p859-875 2009
For the past 7 years, the author has conducted qualitative research projects revolving around the experiences of West Bank settlers. The political situation in Israel in general, and the West Bank in particular, has undergone rapid and dramatic political, military, and social changes during this period. In highly politically sensitive situations such as this, the researcher is faced with physical, professional, emotional, and ethical threats. This article presents a conceptual discussion and case illustration of the use of four types of reflexive positioning: (a) identification with respondents, (b) emotional enmeshment, (c) personal associations, and (d) auto-ethnography. These reflexive positions reduce risks to the trustworthiness of the research and transform threats into opportunities to enrich qualitative data analysis.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Qualitative Research, Political Issues, Researchers, Interpersonal Relationship, Identification (Psychology), Psychological Patterns, Association (Psychology), Ethnography
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Israel; West Bank
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A