Decolonising the Self: Phenomenological Strategies

Qualitative research is a multidisciplinary Deld of practice that acknowledges and values the situatedness and subjectivities of the researcher. Therefore, reEexively accounting for one's subjectivities is a crucial part of a research report. Less discussed is how subjective understandings are historically, culturally, and socially mediated, often challenging researchers' abilities to orient themselves critically to this self-reEective undertaking. Phenomenology is a philosophical approach investigating how phenomena such as subjectivity are constituted in experience. This makes phenomenology an essential resource for understanding how complex subjective responses manifest differently depending on one's orientation to the situation. This paper aims to familiarize qualitative research instructors and learners with a series of phenomenological activities that have proven helpful in disclosing multiple ways subjectivities are historically and contextually mediated, embodied, and technologically modiDed.

Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung Forum Qualitative Social Research, 2006

In this article we aim to share reflections we have concerning qualitative research methodology from a phenomenological perspective within the context of the Graduate Program on Education at Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil. The concepts that have informed our studies, as well as the subjects of our research, have led us to a methodology that builds upon a phenomenological/philosophical base. From this perspective, understanding reality entails comprehending the significance of cultural phenomena, and thus relies upon life experiences stemming from lived practices. At this stage, we have elected discourse (understood from the perspectives of Paulo FREIRE and Maurice MERLEAU-PONTY) as the main focus of our reflections. Phenomenologically based research reveals structural conditions of multiple meanings, with their values and norms that transmit the representations of groups which are situated in sociohistorical, economic and cultural contexts. Through discourse we are able to capture the relationships, the revealing intentions, significances and subjectivities, which, from our standpoint, are fundamental elements of the process of comprehending the world.

The Qualitative Report, 2021

I show some problems with recent discussions within qualitative research that centre around the “authenticity” of phenomenological research methods. I argue that attempts to restrict the scope of the term “phenomenology” via reference to the phenomenological philosophy of Husserl are misguided, because the meaning of the term “phenomenology” is only broadly restricted by etymology. My argument has two prongs: first, via a discussion of Husserl, I show that the canonical phenomenological tradition gives rise to many traits of contemporary qualitative phenomenological theory that are purportedly insufficiently genuine (such as characterisations of phenomenology as “what-its-likeness” and presuppositionless description). Second, I argue that it is not adherence to the theories and methods of prior practitioners such as Husserl that justifies the moniker “phenomenology” anyway. Thus, I show that the extent to which qualitative researchers ought to engage with the theory of philosophical phenomenology or adhere to a particular edict of Husserlian methodology ought to be determined by the fit between subject matter and methodology and conclude that qualitative research methods still qualify as phenomenological if they develop their own set of theoretical terms, traditions, and methods instead of importing them from philosophical phenomenology.

Methodology Institute at the London School of …, 2004

This paper introduces the philosophical foundation and practical application of empirical phenomenology in social research. This approach builds upon the phenomenology of philosopher Edmund Husserl and sociologist Alfred Schütz, but considers how their more theoretical insights can be used in an empirical approach. It aims at being practically useful for anyone doing qualitative studies and interested in safeguarding the subjective perspective of those studied. The main idea of empirical phenomenology is that scientific explanation must be grounded in the first-order construction of the actors; that is, their own meanings and words. These constructions are then related to the second-order constructions of the scientist. In this paper, empirical phenomenology is considered in the light of phenomenological philosophy. The bulk of the paper consists of an explication of the approach, particularly in relation to concrete methods such as interviewing and participant observation. Finally, empirical phenomenology is summarized in seven steps, guiding the researcher through her project.

Routledge, 2023

During my doctoral studies in the United Kingdom, I participated in the Education Research Symposium at Oxford University. One scholar asked: 'How is reflexivity intricately woven through all facets of your research?' This question sparked my interest in exploring what researcher reflexivity might imply in concrete terms and what the listener of an academic presentation or the reader of published work might have had in mind. Schwandt (2001, p. 224) defines reflexivity as the processes of critical self-reflection on one's biases, theoretical predispositions, preferences' and acknowledges that 'the inquirer is part of the setting, context, and social phenomenon he or she seeks to understand. .. and can be a means for critically inspecting the entire research process'. Starfield (2013) points out that the notion of validity in qualitative methodology often encompasses researcher reflexivity. It enables researchers to disregard 'God-like positions (pseudo-objectivity)' (Dervin & Byrd Clark, 2014, p. 234) through critically scrutinising the possible consequences of their actions, questioning systematically what they say and do, and considering the investigative processes and outcomes from multiple perspectives. Reflexivity carries special significance in study abroad research because this kind of experience can be transformative for student sojourners in terms of their second-language proficiency, personal growth, and globalmindedness. This type of study requires the researcher to negotiate the research context, the positioning (e.g., the biography, gender, race) of both the researcher and researched (Ganassin, 2020), and their identities, which, in turn, may shape the construction of the research questions, the type of information collected, and the resultant interpretations (Consoli, 2022). These issues were essential in the longitudinal, phenomenographic study reported in this chapter, especially since both I (the researcher) and the participants came from an Arab background and pursued our postgraduate studies in the United Kingdom. More precisely, my own

Indo-Pacific Journal of Phenomenology, 2010

This paper introduces the philosophical foundation and practical application of empirical phenomenology in social research. The approach of empirical phenomenology builds upon the phenomenology of the philosophers Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger and the sociologist Alfred Schütz, but considers how their more philosophical and theoretical insights can be used in empirical research. It aims at being practically useful for anyone doing qualitative studies and concerned about safeguarding the perspective of those studied. The main idea of empirical phenomenology is that scientific explanation must be grounded in the first-order construction of the actors; that is, in their own meanings. These constructions are then related to the secondorder constructions of the scientist. In this paper, empirical phenomenology is considered in the light of phenomenological philosophy. The paper includes an explication of the approach, which is summarized in seven steps through which the researcher is guided, and considers its implications for qualitative methods such as interviewing and participant observation.

International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 2021

In recent decades, phenomenological concepts and methodological ideals have been adopted by qualitative researchers. Several influential strands of what we will refer to as Phenomenological Research (PR) have emerged. We will call into question whether PR has been sufficiently sensitive to the issue of the prerequisites, or basic conditions, for doing phenomenological research. The practical implementation of phenomenological key concepts is important in working with phenomenology as a research methodology. Core concepts such as “bracketing” seems to be particularly important in PR. The question we would like to raise is not whether “bracketing” is possible, or to what extent, nor how it should be understood. Rather, we wish to illuminate the prerequisites for bracketing itself. We believe that a fuller recognition of the embeddedness of research practices like PR does have some broadly practical implications, which we shall expand upon in the present article.

Reflective Practice, 2020

This paper provides a practical analysis of being reflexive when doing Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) research. We argue that although reflexivity is widely discussed in relation to qualitative research, there are few practical examples demonstrating how to be reflexive. To address this, reflexivity will be presented through the experiences learnt from doctoral research using IPA. Reflexivity is understood in qualitative research as an attentiveness to the influence of the researcher on the research process.. However, experiencing reflexivity as an IPA researcher is tricky, time-consuming and often uncomfortable; it does not 'happen' and the researcher had to learn to 'live' with data. Drawing on the work of Heidegger, the experience and expression of reflexivity is conceptualised as the 'house of being', a shared analytic space that researchers and participants inhabit. This paper adds to the existing discussion of reflexivity by extending the dialogue of 'what is it like' to be reflexive and how to integrate reflexivity into research. The insights in this paper are intended to generate insight as to how reflexivity can be overt in the doing and writing of IPA research and to assist IPA and qualitaive researchers in their awareness and implementation of reflexivity in research .

Higher Education Research & Development, 1997

This paper provides a practical analysis of being reflexive when doing Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) research. We argue that although reflexivity is widely discussed in relation to qualitative research, there are few practical examples demonstrating how to be reflexive. To address this, reflexivity will be presented through the experiences learnt from doctoral research using IPA. Reflexivity is understood in qualitative research as an attentiveness to the influence of the researcher on the research process.. However, experiencing reflexivity as an IPA researcher is tricky, time-consuming and often uncomfortable; it does not 'happen' and the researcher had to learn to 'live' with data. Drawing on the work of Heidegger, the experience and expression of reflexivity is conceptualised as the 'house of being', a shared analytic space that researchers and participants inhabit. This paper adds to the existing discussion of reflexivity by extending the dialogue of 'what is it like' to be reflexive and how to integrate reflexivity into research. The insights in this paper are intended to generate insight as to how reflexivity can be overt in the doing and writing of IPA research and to assist IPA and qualitaive researchers in their awareness and implementation of reflexivity in research .