Feminist Community Research

Feminist community research is a collaborative, policy-oriented methodology that holds the promise of empowering the disadvantaged and building a more just society. But in the absence of critical analysis and the responsible use of power, this approach can lead to naive or even harmful practices. Grounded as they are in fieldwork, these interdisciplinary case studies acknowledge the real methodological and ethical issues that researchers can encounter as they negotiate contested research relationships. The authors discuss the strategies successful and unsuccessful that they have employed to overcome these challenges. The authors collective experiences working with diverse groups, from immigrant and Aboriginal women in Vancouver to poverty-reduction practitioners in Vietnam, reveal that truly equitable research projects require that we question core concepts and address crucial issues such as the promises and limits of reflexivity; the politics of place, time, and resources; ethical dilemmas and emotional responses; and the way issues of social justice, policy, and social change are embedded in research.