Linking Feminist Theory to Qualitative Work by Dr. Ami Stearns
Hello Qualitative Mind,
My name is Ami Stearns and I am an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. I hold a PhD in Sociology and a Graduate Certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies from the University of Oklahoma. I employ qualitative approaches and a feminist standpoint to explore the experiences of incarcerated women, from their relationship with food to the way they support one another on a daily basis through discourse. In this post, I’m going to discuss two ways that feminist methodologies and qualitative methodologies are interconnected.
I was doing qualitative work before I had ever heard the word “qualitative.” For example, my 8th grade science fair project was a content analysis of dream journals kept over a month-long period by “participants” (my friends and sisters), supplemented by data from interviews with the participants. When I analyzed the dreams, I identified two themes: symbolic dreams and “brain dump” dreams (i.e., dreams about routine things that happened in the previous days). I also consider myself to be an early feminist. I was a huge fan of author Judy Blume, whose books about teenage girls helped me reflect on my place in the word as a female. In graduate school, my thesis and dissertation were both qualitative, because I was drawn to “telling a story” within my work.
Utilizing qualitative methodologies and methods in research aligns closely with my feminist assumptions about the source and nature of reality and truth. A feminist perspective acknowledges the multiple ways that some groups, such as women, people of color, individuals with physical and mental challenges, and non-binary individuals, have been historically oppressed. This central tenet of feminism sets the stage for two interrelated features of qualitative methodologies: the acknowledgement of power differentials and the subjective nature of reality.
“In order to change the relations of domination which structure society and define our subordination, we must understand how power works…”
Qualitative work takes into account the power differentials that exist among individuals in society. It aids in interrogating who decides what knowledge is valid and how this knowledge is reproduced. This approach also de-centers the researcher as the expert, allowing for multiple voices in the creation and reproduction of knowledge. Qualitative feminist researchers can begin to do the work of dismantling imbalances of power by allowing others to speak and valuing their stories. In my own scholarship with incarcerated women, for example, it’s critical that I acknowledge my standpoint of privilege as a white, cisgender, college-educated, straight, and able-bodied woman as I seek to better understand the prison experience. I enter my writing with the knowledge that my study is never neutral or objective, but is influenced by the social location I, and my subjects, occupy.
“A subordinate group not only experiences a different reality than a group that rules, but a subordinate group may interpret that reality differently than a dominant group.”
Qualitative approaches also trouble the nature of reality, accepting that there is no “one” truth. Reality, from qualitative perspectives and feminist perspectives, is experienced differently dependent upon one’s social context. Dominant discourses that uphold structural inequality by defining a universal reality can best be undone by telling truths that are diverse and localized. The most effective way to interrogate dominant ideologies, then, is through close examination of discourse gathered through interviews, focus groups, and ethnographic observation.
Many qualitative researchers are doing work that aligns well with feminist approaches. These methodologies, I believe, offer the greatest opportunity to make significant change in society. The pieces I relied upon to write this post are below. I highly recommend them to enrich your qualitative learning journey!
I’d love to hear from you on Twitter: @DrAmiStearns
~ Ami
References:
Collins, P. H. (1989). The social construction of Black Feminist Thought. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 14(4), 745-773.
Hartsock, N. (1990). Foucault on power: A theory for women? In L. J. Nicholson (Ed.) Feminism / Postmodernism (pp. 157-175). Routledge.