By Andrea M Avelino Sánchez
Knowledge production in the realm of forced migration is not immune to the influence of power structures and geopolitical interests, which can shape research funding, areas of focus, specific topics, objectives, and outcomes (as discussed in James Milner’s LERRN course lecture “Introducing LERRN & Principles of Partnered Research”). Therefore, it is imperative to adopt a critical lens to scrutinize and delve into the asymmetrical power relations and the researcher’s positionality throughout the entire process. This approach can lead to the development of academic practices that challenge the construction of ‘traditional’ knowledge that subtly operates a colonial pressure for extracting, codifying and commodifying displaced people’s experiences. Moreover, it opens the door for research partnerships that encompass and foster collaboration between the so-called Global South-North, particularly with individuals and communities experiencing forced displacement. In this context, training future researchers to recognize their positions of privilege, question their own practices, and identify the oppressive structures – such as gender, age, nationality, economic status, sexual orientation, geographical location, language, and race, among others – that enable them to position themselves as social scientists, is a significant step towards more critical, compassionate, inclusive, and ethical academic exercises.
The researcher must be aligned with ethical considerations to preserve academic and professional rigor, as well as procedural and relational principles (as discussed in Christina Clark-Kazak’s LERRN course lecture “Ethics Across Borders”). Regardless of the international guidelines about privacy, confidentiality and the principle of do not harm, it is impossible to deny the power imbalances and unequal power relations among the lead researcher and the rest of the team collaborating on the project. A typical scenario that exemplifies a power imbalance is related to the privilege and access to assets of researchers coming from the Global North to conduct research on Global South contexts of marginalization, discrimination and positioned vulnerability, where resources may be scarce, as discussed in Christina Clark-Kazak’s article.[1] In this sense, it is crucial to acknowledge the importance and influence of the researcher’s positionality. There are some initial thoughts to unveil at the first glimpse. First, who is conducting the research in relation to race, nationality, class, age, and gender? Other essential aspects to reflect upon are the researcher’s professional affiliations and the organizations funding the project. Furthermore, as Clark-Kazak discussed in the LERRN course, it is important to think about how other people perceive the research and the presence of the researcher in the community.
In the case of qualitative research in migration studies, the researcher’s positionality influences the entire process because the project involves decision-making processes, perceptions, expectations, feelings, and behaviors from the people collaborating[2] and pursuing the research, as explained by Melissa Moralli’s article. The (un)intended elements that construct the researcher’s identity – academic background, age, gender, nationality, economic status, and so on – are in constant and permanent interaction and negotiation with oppressive structures (such as racism, neoliberalism, and classism, among others) to allow them to position themselves as lead researcher. Even though the elements related to their identities may not be an individual choice, they impact the social position and, in most cases, the researcher’s privilege. In this sense, it is possible to use an inquiring lens towards the research/researcher. Therefore, following a feminist and post-colonial discourse, intersectionality, as developed by Kimberle Crenshaw, seems to be a helpful analytical tool to reflect on the practitioner’s position.
Since the 1990s, intersectionality has been deployed in social sciences to identify and understand how personal identities – age, race, gender, among others – intersect and interact with oppressive systems and institutions like poverty, racism, and discrimination, and how these intersections impact people’s personal unique experiences.[3] Accordingly, intersectionality is more than just a theoretical tool to analyze individuals and social structures from the researcher’s point of view. It can also be a transformative tool for a practitioner’s self-assessment and reflection towards their positionality. It allows deep questioning about how personal and (un)intentional parts of their identity influence their research and how the information presented is partial because it is biased by positionality.
Melissa Moralli’s research has appealed to the use of “intersectional positionality”[4] to recognize the ways in which gender, ethnicity, and class come into play within the structure. Nonetheless, the concept’s core is rooted in the notion that researchers and participants maintain a dynamic relationship process regarding positionality. It recognizes the intervention and importance of emotions when conducting research. In this sense, people are more than just analytical categories; the focus is on relationships and the connection between researchers and collaborators. Acknowledging these interactions, vulnerability, and the emotions arising and changing throughout the research will offer researchers a permanent opportunity to question their own biases and goals in pursuing the projects.
Inquiring about positionality requires a personal effort and constant reflexive exercise. It goes away from the idea of scientific production being neutral and objective and instead recognizes how the researcher’s identities impact outcomes. From a critical perspective, the researcher’s identities determine their positionality and privilege in negotiation with oppressive structures. At the same time, academic research in social sciences is part of a continuum of negotiations between the researcher and people collaborating on the project. Therefore, the researcher’s positionality is also dynamic. Using intersectional frames to think about the position of the research and the researcher is an action towards social justice. It is an exercise to challenge and avoid colonialism’s extractivist knowledge production. It can attempt to make the knowledge useful and meaningful for the people and communities collaborating on the project. Awareness of positionality and the role of the researcher’s identities will not erase the power imbalances within academic contexts. However, it is a crucial advance in critical and modern knowledge creation that scrutinizes the researchers to make research available and accessible for participatory action.
Author bio:
Erasmus Mundus’ European Master in Migration and Intercultural Relations (EMMIR) student at Oldenburg University, University of Stavanger and Wits University. Interested in forced migration research and refugee studies, Gender-Based Violence and protection and integration initiatives.
[1] Clark-Kazak, C. (2019). Developing Ethical Guidelines for Research. Forced Migration Review, 61, 12– 14.
[2] Moralli, M. (2024). Research as Care: Positionality and Reflexivity in Qualitative Migration Research. Qualitative Research, 24(3), 459–770.
[3] Crenshaw, K. (1991). Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color. Stanford Law Review, 43(6), 1241–1299.
[4] Moralli, M. (2024). Research as Care: Positionality and Reflexivity in Qualitative Migration Research.