Subjectivity and reflexivity: locating the self in research on dislocation

Abstract

I argue in this article that recognizing the role of subjectivity and bringing in the researcher's positionality as a tool in the research process can not only enhance the ethical integrity of the research but also enhance both the research process and the analysis and interpretation of the data. Cultural studies theorists have long argued that choices made about what to study and what studies to fund are culturally and socially bound decisions that reflect power and values within the society. Starting from this theoretical framework, I explore the relational dynamics of a qualitative research study in which I worked with 15 Bosnian adolescent female refugees and 10 Bosnian refugee community members living in New York City to explore their understandings of identity after conflict, flight, and relocation. In the process, I learned much about myself and used reflexivity to think about how my own identity interacted with the identities of my participants, discovering along the way how this ‘messiness’ was improving the research process and quality.

Keywords:

• subjectivity
• reflexivity
• ethics

Notes

1. One participant insisted that her pseudonym be Hillary Rodham Clinton. Despite her insistence and despite my preference that the participant and myself come to a mutual agreement on a pseudonym, in this case, I decided that a more appropriate name for her in my work would be less confusing for the reader.