1st Edition
Feminist Praxis (RLE Feminist Theory) Research, Theory and Epistemology in Feminist Sociology
Feminist social scientists often find that carrying feminism into practice in their research is neither easy nor straightforward. Designed precisely with feminist researchers in mind, Feminist Praxis gives detailed analytic accounts of particular examples of feminist research, showing how feminist epistemology can translate into concrete feminist research practices.
The contributors, all experts in their field, give practical examples of feminist research practices, covering colonialism, child-minding, gay men, feminist social work, cancer, working with young girls using drama, Marilyn Monroe, statistics – even the writing and reading of research accounts. These detailed accounts are located in relation to the position of feminism and of women generally in the academic world, and looked at in the light of discussions, debates, and controversies about feminist methodology across several disciplines.
Feminist Praxis is unique in combining theoretical discussion of feminist methodology with detailed accounts of practical research processes. This blend of the practical and the theoretical will make it an invaluable text for feminists carrying out research at all levels, and it will also appeal to those interested in the relationship between theory, method and feminist epistemology.
Brief biographies. Acknowledgements. Part 1. Feminist Praxis and the Academic Mode 1. Feminist praxis and the academic mode of production: an editorial introduction Liz Stanley 2. Method, methodology and epistemology in feminist research processes Liz Stanley and Sue Wise Part 2. Feminist Research Processes 3. Introduction Section A. Beginning and Finishing Research 4. The feminist research process – defining a topic Jane Haggis 5. The history of a ‘failed’ research topic: the case of the childminders Fiona Poland Section B. Demolishing the ‘Quantitative v. Qualitative’ Divide 6. ‘Seeking Susan’: producing statistical information on young people’s leisure Denise Farran 7. My statistics and feminism – a true story Anne Pugh 8. ‘A referral was made’: behind the scenes during the creation of a Social Services Department ‘elderly’ statistic Liz Stanley Section C. Recognising the Role of Auto/Biography 9. On the conflicts of doing feminist research into masculinity Jocye Layland 10. From butch god to teddy bear? Some thoughts on my relationship with Elvis Presley Sue Wise 11. The professional and the personal: a study of women quantity surveyors Clara Geed Section D. Analytically Using Experience 12. Breaking the rules: assessing the assessment of a girls’ project Fiona Poland 13. The mastectomy experience Ann Tait 14. At the Palace: researching gender and ethnicity in a Chinese restaurant Chung Yuen Kay 15. Counter arguments: an ethnographic look at ‘Women and Class’ Sue Webb 16. Using drama to get at gender Vivienne Griffiths 17. Becoming a feminist social worker Sue Wise Section E. Analysing Written and Visual Texts 18. Reading feminism in fieldnotes Anne Williams 19. Analysing a photograph of Marilyn Monroe Denise Farran. Name index. Subject index.
Biography
Liz Stanley
