Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Introduction
Feminism encompasses diverse frameworks, ideologies, attitudes, and analyses of
the political, economic, and social inequalities between women and men. In this
pluralistic context, the need for diversity in research methods would seem as obvious
as the conclusion that any method that can be used on behalf of women's rights and
interests is by definition a potential feminist tool. Useful traditional methods may be
used for answering certain kinds of important feminist questions. Yet other questions
need to be addressedquestions about women's lived experiences, how we think
about our lives and ourselves, about the meanings of events and relationships in our
lives, and how we differ in our constructions and interactions in the world. Such
questions simply cannot be answered with old-fashioned methods. So the search is on
to identify and develop the methods we need to answer them. Feminists will continue
to debate the merits of various methodological approaches for answering different
questions. However, as for the fundamental knowledge about feminist research, the
following may be of some value.
Feminist Research Background
Schools of Feminist Thought
Standpoint Feminism
Ecofeminism
Feminist researchers are sensitive to the ways that all forms of research may be
affected by the corrosive forces of sexism, racism, homophobia, and class
discrimination
May be transdisciplinary
Frequently attempts to develop special relations with the people studied (in
interactive research)
Strengths:
constructions of self, to produces not only knowledge information about others lives
and a capacity for insight, empathy, and attentive caring.
In Lengels (1998) article, the author seeks to discuss theoretical,
methodological, epistemological, and political considerations of feminist ethnography.
The concept of self and other is arises from contemporary ethnography specifically.
But feminist ethnographers, question assumptions of traditional ethnography of self
and other, such as the concepts of first world and third world. Feminist scholars
try to develop a new form of ethnographic inquiry concerned with interrogating the
power relation of self and other. Like the author discussed in her article, new
ethnographic possibilities from non-western experiences and from feminist theory and
politics(Lengel, 1998, p. 230). In the fact, feminist and critical ethnography has a
kind of awkward relationship. While feminism questions the relationship of self
and other in term of the bipolar opposition of men and women, critical ethnographic
and anthropological works examine more board cross-cultural, sociopolitical
hierarchical relationship (Lengel, 1998, p. 231).
Feminist scholars approach multiplicity to look at the issue of women, they are
criticizing the simple dichotomy of traditional criticism scholars idea, such as east &
west, first & third world, and international & national. Because she believes every
woman is different and unique, they cannot be simplified. Lengel also criticized some
classical conceptions of traditional criticism, example of elitism and orientalism.
With feminist developments, Lengel noticed some problems of feminism. She
mentioned feminists started with assumptions and criticize traditional views for
women. So Langel emphasized feminist scholars should be self-reflexive often.
Feminist research helps women improve their lives, so helping women break the
silence and build a stage to speak their voice is obligatory. At the same time, womens
lives change with the developing world, so the aim of feminist research needs to
transform as well.
References
Chavez, K., & Griffin, C. (2012). Standing in the intersection feminist voices, feminist
practices in communication studies. Albany: SUNY Press.
Douglas, S. (2010). Enlightened sexism: The seductive message that feminism's work
is done. New York: Times Books.
Hesse-Biber, S. N. (Ed.) (2012). Handbook of Feminist Research: Theory and Praxis.
Sage.
Foss, K. A. & Foss, S. K. (1994). Personal experience as evidence in feminist
scholarship.Western Journal of Communication, 58(1), 39-43.
Jaggar, A. (2008). Just methods: An interdisciplinary feminist reader. Boulder, CO:
Paradigm.
Lengel, L. (1998). Researching the other: Methodological considerations of
feminist