The articles included in this comparative analysis provide insight into literature on feminist scholarship. Three articles are analyzed in this paper: Merriam, S. B., Johnson-Bailey, J., Lee, M., Kee, Y., Ntseane, G., & Muhamad, M. (2001). Power and positionality: negotiating insider/outsider status within and across cultures; Brown, N.E. (2012). Negotiating the Insider/Outsider Status: Black Feminist Ethnography and Legislative Studies; Accapadi, M. M. (2007). When White Women Cry: How White Women's Tears Oppress Women of Color.
Merriam, et. al. explored insider/outsider cultural experiences in terms of positionality, power and knowledge construction. Merriam as the organizer, complied research from case studies conducted on participants …show more content…
The researcher noted that there were several areas of commonalities that as an insider she was able to share. Race and the shared knowledge of the societal pressures of being an African American were a uniting identity. However, when the subject of class was introduced the respondents did not necessarily consider the researcher as an insider, as most identified with what they perceived to be a lower economic class. This perception caused a change in how the researcher was viewed as an insider or outsider. Johnson-Bailey cautions that even as an insider a researcher must be cognizant of their role and must realize that positionality can change during the interview …show more content…
Brown conducted interviews with African American female legislators. As an insider, she was familiar with the cultural norms and historical realities of dual subordination of race and gender. This allowed her to recruit respondents from the Black Caucus as well as it assisted her in getting respondents to talk freely. This freedom to share information extended into personal areas, from the topic of food to weight and size. The researcher also states that her affiliation with a Black cultural institution, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, also enhanced her ability to collect data from the legislators. However, her positionality as an insider, she notes, affected her ability to be objective as a researcher, as at times she felt like she was family when interviewing the participants. (Brown,
Merriam, et. al. explored insider/outsider cultural experiences in terms of positionality, power and knowledge construction. Merriam as the organizer, complied research from case studies conducted on participants …show more content…
The researcher noted that there were several areas of commonalities that as an insider she was able to share. Race and the shared knowledge of the societal pressures of being an African American were a uniting identity. However, when the subject of class was introduced the respondents did not necessarily consider the researcher as an insider, as most identified with what they perceived to be a lower economic class. This perception caused a change in how the researcher was viewed as an insider or outsider. Johnson-Bailey cautions that even as an insider a researcher must be cognizant of their role and must realize that positionality can change during the interview …show more content…
Brown conducted interviews with African American female legislators. As an insider, she was familiar with the cultural norms and historical realities of dual subordination of race and gender. This allowed her to recruit respondents from the Black Caucus as well as it assisted her in getting respondents to talk freely. This freedom to share information extended into personal areas, from the topic of food to weight and size. The researcher also states that her affiliation with a Black cultural institution, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, also enhanced her ability to collect data from the legislators. However, her positionality as an insider, she notes, affected her ability to be objective as a researcher, as at times she felt like she was family when interviewing the participants. (Brown,