The (im-)possibilities of ethnographic research in (post-)colonial settings toward a feminist dialectical approach Julia Sachseder

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sachseder, Julia Carolin, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Political violence--Research--Case studies.

Political violence.

Intersectionality (Sociology)--Case studies.

Intersectionality (Sociology).

Postcolonialism--Case studies.

Postcolonialism.

Ethnology--Research--Methodolgy--Case studies.

Ethnology.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Other Title:

Impossibilities of ethnographic research in post-colonial settings

Impossibilities of ethnographic research in postcolonial settings

Place of Publication:

SAGE Publications Ltd, 2026.

London SAGE Publications Ltd 2026

Summary:

This case study critically engages with both the limitations and possibilities of fieldwork in (post)conflict and postcolonial contexts. While fieldwork methods such as narrative interviews and focus group discussions can help amplify marginalized struggles, the case study shows how power asymmetries between researchers and participants and the associated epistemic and material consequences remain a fundamental challenge. This case study invites a discussion on the dual nature of positionality and (auto-)reflexivity and asks for an examination of how these practices can simultaneously contribute to the goal of decolonizing knowledge by acknowledging and addressing power hierarchies, while also possibly reinforcing those existing power structures that they aim to critique. While these practices prompt researchers to reflect on their biases and influence, their individualistic focus can overlook the structural, institutional, and colonial forces shaping academic knowledge production. As such, the case study starts from the premise that research, far from being a neutral academic endeavor, can be inherently predatory, exploitative, and violent. It can reflect and even perpetuate the social and political ideologies of the institutions and individuals involved in its conception, funding, oversight, participation, and publication. Against this backdrop, the case study interrogates the commodification of knowledge and the corporatization of universities while advocating for conceiving of ethnographic research as a collaborative project grounded in a dialectical approach to researcher-subject interactions that aligns with decolonial feminist ethics. This approach, though potentially unsettling, encourages the acknowledgment of the researcher's multiple responsibilities in the research process and its broader political, social, cultural, and ethical ramifications. This case study aims to lay groundwork for future intersectional research on political violence in and beyond armed conflicts in postcolonial settings

Notes:

Description based on XML content

ISBN:

9781036243814

1036243818

OCLC:

1568834113

Publisher Number:

T300925