Feminist research methodology : making meanings of meaning-making / Maithree Wickramasinghe.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wickramasinghe, Maithree.

Series:

Routledge research on gender in Asia series ; 2.

Routledge research on gender in Asia series ; 2

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Women's studies--Research--Sri Lanka.

Women's studies.

Women's studies--Sri Lanka--Methodology.

Methodology.

Women's studies--Research.

Sri Lanka.

Physical Description:

xv, 213 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : Routledge, 2010.

Contents:

Introduction: Making meanings 1

An introduction to the genesis of the book 1

An introduction to the book's structure and chapters 4

An introduction to the definitions and parameters of making meaning 7

Part I Methodology matters 11

1 The local context: Archaeology of women's research activism 13

Archaeology 13

A glance at women-related issues before 1975 14

The emergence of WR writing and research 17

The liberal / democratic agenda 17

Marxist feminism 19

Women's movements and researchers 20

Feminist research activism 23

Feminist research activism - more issues of connaissances? 24

Feminist research activism - more issues of savoir? 27

2 A paradigm: Women - a paradigm in global knowledge production 31

Women as a paradigm in global knowledge production 32

Feminist subjectivities 34

Feminist ontologies 36

Feminist epistemologies 39

Feminist research methods 43

Feminist theories 45

Feminist politics / ethics 47

Part II Aspects of feminist research methodology 51

3 Subjectivity: Reflecting on the self as / in making meaning 55

Subjectivity and reflexivity 56

Positioning / constructing myself in researching 58

Discipline and work roles 58

Family 58

Ethnicity and religion 59

Class 59

Politics 60

Language 60

Constructing / positioning my frameworks of thought 61

Ontological and epistemological bearings 61

The research context 64

Theoretical and methodological aspects 64

Political and ethical concerns 66

Positioning / constructing my approaches and methods 67

Texts 67

Talk 68

Analysis and theorisation 69

Reflecting on reflexivity as an expression of subjectivity 71

4 An ontology: Research realities in meaning-making 73

Ontology and epistemology 73

The attacks and responses 75

Ontological research politics 76

Feminist internationalisms 78

Feminist structural reformative intents (gender mainstreaming) 81

Feminist localisms 84

Feminist personal / political interests 87

5 An epistemology: making meanings of being / doing gender 93

The concept of gender 93

Justification for an epistemology of gender 95

Gender as an aspect of being / doing (ontology) 96

An epistemology of gender 99

Gender theoretical concepts 99

Gender analysis 102

Gender political aspirations 105

Gender methodologies 107

Gender ontology as epistemology is gender epistemology as ontology 108

6 A method: Literature reviewing as making meaning 110

The method of literature reviewing 111

Constructing a historical trajectory? 113

Classifying types of approaches 114

The empiricist bent 114

Action research 116

Theoretical arguments 118

Mixed-methods research 122

Other methodological issues 123

The significance of history 123

The cultural factor 125

7 Theory: Making and unmaking meaning in theory 128

The pros and cons of applying theorisation 128

Beginning theory 130

The location / situatedness / standpoints and intersections of knowledge 132

A women's standpoint 134

The perspective of a mother 135

Disciplinary and ideological affiliations 137

Intersections of class 139

Counter-communal stands 141

South Asian or Asian positionings 143

Making and unmaking theory 145

8 Ethics / politics: Feminist ethics / politics in meaning-making 147

Women's lesser morality versus higher social expectations 147

Feminisms as ethics and politics 148

The ethical problematic of a politics of good 150

Ethics / politics of altruism 151

Ethics / politics of liberal democracy 153

Ethics / politics of Marxism 155

Feminist ethics as political strategy and action 158

Strategic pragmatism 159

Feminist politics / ethics as methods 161

Responsibilities and accountability 161

Sensitivity to respondents 163

Epistemic community 164

Conclusions: Towards a feminist research methodological matrix - making meanings of meaning-making 167.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [186]-207) and index.

ISBN:

9780415494168

0415494168

9780203867327

0203867327

OCLC:

323161010