Feminist Research

: exploring the interconnections of epistemology, methodology, and method. Hesse-Biber, Sharlene Nagy (2007). Handbook of feminist research: Theory and praxis (pp. 1-17). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Hesse-Biber examines feminist research historically and across disciplines and addresses critical points of feminist research in the frameworks of critical theory grounded in the experience of the oppressed, postmodern theories, which commonly draw on difference.

Drawing on Sandra Harding (1993) and Lorrain Code (1991), Hesse-Biber defined reflexivity as a defining feature of feminist research:

"Through disclosing their values, attitudes, and biases in their approach to particular research questions and in engaging in strong reflexivity throughout the research process, feminist researchers can actually improve objectivity of the research." (p. 10)

More clearly, Hesse-Biber defined reflexivity as a "process, whereby researchers recognize, examine, and understand how their social background, location, and assumptions affect their research practice. Practicing reflexivity also includes paying attention to the specific ways in which our own agendas affect the research at all points in the process--from the selection of the research problem to the selection of method and ways in which we analyze and interpret our findings." (pp. 16-17).

REFLEXIVITY is defined as a process that researchers should take on. How is it related to participatory video? Participant researchers should be conscious of the methods they take, their subjective involvement at all? In PV, it aims to bring about participants' subjective involvement. It makes this explicit, while the predominant discourse of reflexivity calls for recognizing and consciously examining it within researchers. Reflexivity means different things in two different contexts. How should it be addressed and be more explicit? How researchers should think of this issue when they take on participatory research?