“He put his a** in your faces:” disruption of voice and inclusion in an academic conference witnessed through collaborative ethnography and critical incident technique

Abstract

In this collaborative autoethnographic piece, we present voices through critical incident technique replaying the same event at an academic conference, all seeking to understand how and why the disruption of voice occurs and what to do to counter it. We contextualize these experiences in the ideal of “sustainability of qualitative inquiry” through a feminist reflexive process, problematizing the potential for critical qualitative inquiry. We question how ownership of power, knowledge, education and voice within academic spaces can be embodied by women and other underrepresented groups. In the end, we provide a set of three potential solutions for conference committees and individuals to critically self-reflect upon to create more social justice in qualitative research spaces. Such considerations are particularly important in times of social distancing, where considerations for inclusivity for all are imperative.

Keywords:

• Innovative qualitative research
• gendered nature of higher education
• micro-inequalities
• voicing women's experiences and reflexivity
• critical qualitative inquiry and collaborative autoethnography
• inclusive spaces for academic conferences

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the editing support of Miriam Sciala and Joseph Yap and those offering their heartfelt feedback at our presentation at the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Anna CohenMiller

Anna CohenMiller, PhD, is a qualitative social justice methodologist and award-winning educator who addresses issues of equity and inclusion in higher education in Kazakhstan and internationally. She is a founding faculty member at Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education and specializes in arts-based research to facilitate/amplify voice of marginalized communities.

Michal Mahat-Shamir

Michal Mahat-Shamir, PhD, is a senior lecturer and the head of the MSW program in the School of Social Work at Ariel University, Israel. She is an active scholar in the field of loss, trauma and bereavement and specifically interested in traumatic and disenfranchised grief.

Shani Pitcho-Prelorentzos

Shani Pitcho-Prelorentzos, MSW, teaches in the School of Social Work at Ariel University, Israel. She is an active researcher studying various forms of traumatic and disenfranchised losses. She centers her research and clinical interest on individuals who have experienced traumatic life events and losses.

Chaya Possick

Chaya Possick, PhD, is a senior lecturer in the School of Social Work at Ariel University in Israel. She is a family therapist and qualitative researcher. Her research focuses on family dynamics and family intervention, particularly in response to trauma. She works towards integrating research and practice in these fields.