Methodology, Feminism and Gender Violence (From Researching Gender Violence: Feminist Methodology in Action, P 1-22, 2005, Tina Skinner, Marianne Hester, et al., eds., -- See NCJ-210311)

• NCJ Number: 210312
• Author(s): Tina Skinner; Marianne Hester; Ellen Malos
• Date Published: 2005
• Length: 22 pages
• Sale Source: Willan Publishing
• Publication Format: Book Chapter
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This chapter introduces the edited collection of papers comprising the book and provides the backdrop for a reassessment of feminist methodology in terms of feminist research on gender violence.

Abstract

This collection of papers is offered by members of the British Sociological Association’s Violence Against Women Study Group who focus their analyses on key methodological questions that have arisen from the recent research interest in gender violence. The current chapter outlines developments in law, policy, and practice in the United Kingdom from the 1970s to the 1990s and analyzes the ways in which government-funded research initiatives have shaped feminist research in the field of gender violence. The authors critique “feminist methodology” in order to maintain the high quality of feminist scholarship on gender violence and enhance the ability of its research findings to shape public debate and stimulate positive change. The notion of a “feminist methodology” as distinct from other social science methodologies is considered and the characteristics broadly associated with feminist methodology are described, including the characteristics of giving voice to marginalized groups, asserting the importance of politically active research, and reflexivity. The selection of research tools and the importance of the emotional and physical well-being of the researcher and the “researched” within feminist methodologies are also considered. Notes, bibliography