Power, Positionality, and the Ethic of Care in Qualitative Research

Building on the definition offered by Aspers and Corte, I argue that qualitative research is not qualitative simply because it encodes for the ability “to get closer” to the phenomenon being studied, so much as it is anchored by a methodological obligation to critically examine how and why that clos...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Qualitative sociology 2021-12, Vol.44 (4), p.575-581
Main Author: Reich, Jennifer A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Closeness
Cross Cultural Psychology
Personality and Social Psychology
Positionality
Power
Qualitative research
Reflexivity
Review Essay
Social Sciences
Sociology
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Summary:Building on the definition offered by Aspers and Corte, I argue that qualitative research is not qualitative simply because it encodes for the ability “to get closer” to the phenomenon being studied, so much as it is anchored by a methodological obligation to critically examine how and why that closeness matters. Qualitative research considers the positionality of both the researcher and the researched as core aspects of inquiry to understand how knowledge and experience are situated, co-constructed, and historically and socially located. This methodological expectation for reflexivity does not just allow for richer data, but also requires researchers to consider power within and surrounding the research process and to employ an ethic of care for their subjects and for the overall work of qualitative research.
ISSN:0162-0436
1573-7837
DOI:10.1007/s11133-021-09500-4