Researching the bridge called our backs: the invisibility of ‘us’ in qualitative communities

Abstract

The article and the following discussion were prompted after the authors’ participation in a recent qualitative research conference. In the article, a Black woman and Latina scholar share their experiences and reflections as scholar researchers. As a point of entry, they discuss how even qualitative research communities can be marginalizing spaces for scholars of color. Using theoretical perspectives of feminists of color, the authors provide snapshots into their personal dialogue around issues of research, theory, and practice. By examining their own personal and professional shared stories of coming to their scholarly identities, qualitative researchers will be able to better understand how women scholars of color grapple with and embrace a multiple consciousness to navigate academia and research communities. Based on these intellectual struggles and forms of resistance, the authors put forth suggestions for qualitative research theory and practice. The article has implications for qualitative research, higher education, and feminist theory.

Keywords:

• Qualitative
• research
• feminism
• womanism
• testimonia
• higher education
• methodology

Notes

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 Though we write about Black and Latina women scholars of color because that is how we identify, we recognize that both the African and Latin diasporas encompass a range of ethnicities and nationalities. We also recognize that there are women of color in the academy who are not Black and Latina and yet may face similar struggles.

2 We recognize the African and Latin diaspora(s) are rich with history and culture. This diaspora/these diasporas are varied and even people claiming the same culture, ethnicity, race, and/or nation, may have differing belief systems. While we do not want to essentialize these groups or pretend they are monolithic, we do believe that we must have a starting point from which to mobilize. Therefore, we speak of African American women and Latinas as groups who experience gender and race (among other) oppression.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Venus Evans-Winters

Venus Evans-Winters is an Associate Professor of Education at Illinois State University in the Department of Educational Administration and Foundations. She is also a faculty affiliate in Women and Gender Studies and Ethnic Studies. Dr. Evans-Winters’ areas of interest are qualitative research methods, urban education reform and policy, critical race theory and feminism(s). She researches Black women’s and girls’ educational experiences across the African Diaspora.

Jennifer Esposito

Jennifer Esposito is a Professor of Educational Policy Studies at Georgia State University. She is also a faculty affiliate in the Institute for Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies and the Alonzo A. Crim Center for Urban Educational Excellence. Dr. Esposito’s work centers on race, class, gender, and sexual orientation as they relate to schooling, as well as the ways embodiment structures one’s life inside and outside of the classroom.