A methodology for the marginalised: surviving oppression and traumatic fieldwork in the neoliberal academy

Pearce, R. (2020) A methodology for the marginalised: surviving oppression and traumatic fieldwork in the neoliberal academy. Sociology, 54(4), pp. 806-824. (doi: 10.1177/0038038520904918)

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Abstract

This article proposes that survival may be considered a research method for social researchers, especially if they are undertaking fieldwork within marginalised communities of which they are a part. Drawing on an autoethnographic account of conducting research while trans, it shows how marginalised researchers may encounter both challenges common within the neoliberal university, and troubles specific to the researcher’s social identity, touching on experiences of casualisation, distressing fieldwork, trauma, and suicide. The article concludes that marginalised researchers should not be held individually responsible for their own survival; rather, they require the active support of research communities and institutional frameworks.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Pearce, Dr Ruth
Authors: Pearce, R.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Education
Journal Name:Sociology
Publisher:SAGE Publications
ISSN:0038-0385
ISSN (Online):1469-8684
Published Online:09 March 2020
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2020 The Authors
First Published:First published in Sociology 54(4): 806-824
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

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