It’s week 3 already! I am looking forwa…
It’s week 3 already! I am looking forward to reading your comments and questions – let’s start a conversation here.
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Human and Environmental Field School
GEOG 379 @ UBC
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Eleanor Shorrock 5:15 pm on January 19, 2016 Permalink |
I will start!
I found the notion of a ‘co-educational’ process with our community partners a particularly interesting point that our guest speaker made. It made me consider what ‘knowledge’ is taught in University, how it is used when conducting research in the field and subsequent presentation of research findings. In his paper, “Decolonizing the production of geographical knowledge’s?”, Gibson highlights the tensions in representing academic work. He notes that the balance between ‘speaking for’ and creating an ‘authentic’ voice is one that presents a particular difficulty. Gibson does not intend to suggest that “radical dissolving of boundaries” occurred with his work with Aboriginal musicians and this is likely to be the case for our research with First Nations communities. However, working with our community partners to produce both a research question and devising ways to present our findings should help to represent First Nations epistemologies rather than imposing a
Eurocentric/academic knowledge and avoid ‘speaking for’ our community partners. By moving away from individualistic research towards one that includes all voices, our projects should be a co-educational process, something I believe to important.
Mielle Michaux 8:35 pm on January 19, 2016 Permalink |
Like Eleanor, I have also been thinking about my role as a member of the university– and how I need to be mindful of the ways that academia can condition its members to view ourselves as the ultimate experts on what we study. While I may have learned to research and write in a way that is designed to sound knowledgeable, our community partner is the one with the real knowledge and experience of placer mining and its culture. To respect their knowledge and learn from out interactions in the coming months, it will be necessary for me to be honest with myself about what my skills are, and what skills, experience, and knowledge I lack, and to break away from the idea that these gaps need to be hidden.
Related to this goal of pursuing knowledge, our conversation in class about the work of Laud Humphreys on the “tearoom trade” has made me think beyond the ethics of research design, and into the ethics of conducting research in the first place. As a researcher and generally curious person (many of us can probably relate), it is frustrating to come across a question with no answer. That being said, I have come to realize that this frustration is not, in of itself, justification for research that might be invasive or harmful to the participants. My desire to know something does not trump someone else’s right to privacy, and in my role as an academician I must sometimes leave my curiosity aside to protect someone else.
brennwilliams 9:27 pm on January 19, 2016 Permalink |
Great reflection Eleanor, I think that your recognition of the importance and difficulty of an authentic voice is particularly relevant to our course and more specifically, our work with various stakeholders throughout the term. I think that this not only relates to the concepts presented by Madeleine Meek, but also our discussion on positionality. I think that is important to recognize our own backgrounds and recognize that each and every one of us is approaching our research from a different background which has engrained various boundaries which we must dissolve in order to conduct effective research. As you noted, this is particularly true when dealing with Aboriginal stakeholders as we live in a society which has been constructed through colonization.
To add to this discussion, I have been pondering Kolb’s experiential learning cycle which was presented by Madeleine. I appreciate that this model emphasizes reflection, and after our class and subsequent discussion I began to reflect on my past experiences with community based experiential learning. The experience itself has been extremely valuable, however I have realized that it is quite difficult to step back from your project and truly reflect on your personal progress until the project is complete. It is only after my community based experiences that I have truly been able to reflect on what I have accomplished and how I may have improved both my experience and work. This term, I hope that I am able to do this more frequently. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to step back from a project you are immersed in so that this may be accomplished?
brennwilliams 9:30 pm on January 19, 2016 Permalink |
Apologies for the typos 🙂 Turns out we are unable to edit comments once they have been posted! To clarify, the second half of the first paragraph should read “I think that is important to recognize our own background and acknowledge that each and every one of us is approaching our research from a different perspectives which has engrained various boundaries which we must dissolve in order to conduct effective research.”
Amy Shaw 3:51 pm on January 20, 2016 Permalink |
Brenn – I to have been thinking about Kolb’s experimental learning cycle, and how we often get caught up with collecting research in the field and analysing the data rather than reflecting on your own process of learning. This is why I think that the individual reflection section of our blogs will be very useful to document weekly not only what we have accomplished in terms of the project, but be able to reflect on our personal learning. For me, I hope using the reflection section of the blog will allow me to see a change in the way I learn. For example, the vast majority of my learning throughout my high school and university career has been classroom learning, where a teacher has told me what other people have experienced. As I am so conditioned to this way of learning, I think it might be difficult for me at first to distance myself from thinking ‘It’s written in a textbook so it must be right.’ Instead, as Madeleine suggested, I must consider the community partner as co-educators, and use their knowledge to be critical of what I have learned in the classroom
emily anne dunn 8:00 pm on January 20, 2016 Permalink |
Like Amy and Brenn I have also been pondering on the role of the reflections, not just within this course and specific research, but in any future research I do. Unfortunately, it appears that the role of reflection often goes understated throughout research – indeed, I have never been encouraged to reflect on my own work throughout a project and only briefly afterwards – and have been thinking of what a large asset it can be when addressing any problems. Given that working alongside the community partner and seeing them as an equal is so key to this research, the role of reflection is perhaps one of the most important – as by documenting our thoughts and having a real chance to reflect on our own work, positions and any problems each week, we can document both our personal and professional progress. Despite its early days, I hope to take the process of reflection – via a blog – with me in my future research and introduce it to any other research projects I undertake within my lifetime. Like Amy, it is rare that I’ve been able to document my own experiences, rather than relying on the experiences of others and am excited to have the chance to. I think reflection is also key to understanding our own positionality and how our experiences may shape our positions and any conclusions we draw and is an important tool in addressing this. To me, Gibson’s article seems to be more a reflection of their own experiences than an instructive academic paper and made it a refreshing read.
theriseofthesun 12:19 am on January 21, 2016 Permalink
In response to Emily’s discussion surrounding the process of reflection in research, I would like to address the ways in which reflection is central to better understanding the successes and the drawbacks of the research methodologies and practices we choose to undertake. Also by reflecting on the process throughout our research study we are able to identify what worked and what didn’t work in order to address the gaps that could potentially be filled along the way, or in future attempts.
As an undergraduate I have often found myself relying on the peer-reviewed scholarly works as the go-to trustworthy medium of attaining knowledge. However through an expansion of research methods, I have been able to attain knowledge through other means, such as through interviews conducted with non-profit organisations that work to manage and improve social housing and healthcare programs in and around Metro Vancouver area. While I, as a researcher, was able to read and learn about different approaches to successful and unsuccessful social housing projects, it was highly beneficial to speak with members of the community, that may not otherwise had their voices recorded in the world of academia found in University scholarship.
It was through the reflection of my experiences as a researcher that enabled me to understand the complexities of knowledge-production. Also in regards to positionality as researchers, it is always important to remain open-minded to receive new knowledges that may challenge our prior understandings and beliefs, as we are diving into communities and social contexts that we are unfamiliar with. It is okay for other people, places, and things to challenge our dominant notion of thinking, as it generates a discussion between different parties and allows only for more growth to occur.
atherias 12:18 am on January 21, 2016 Permalink |
Brenn, to respond to your question about how to reflect on a learning experience as it is happening, my suggestion is to talk it out. Although reflection is a personal experience, I think that a lot can be uncovered by describing our own experiences to others, whether sharing with our research groups, exchanging perspectives with the community partner, discussing with class peers, or even just with friends. I think these discussions can spark inspiration and insights that may otherwise remain uncovered. As we push ourselves to put experiences into words, we can synthesize thoughts and make sense of our learning, and saying things out loud really gives us the opportunity to express our passion for the work we are doing. I think this is another way to complement a largely individual learning experience that university often fosters. It turns learning into an exchange, much like the exchange of knowledge that will occur between our groups and the community partners, and can really enrich our experience. Of course, this really depends on each individual person’s level of comfort and communication preferences, but I’ve found that pushing myself to speak has made me much more conscious about my experiences. I really look forward to getting to know everyone in the class better so that we can feel comfortable having some of these discussions in class.
adrian cheng 10:43 pm on January 26, 2016 Permalink |
Aherias, I agree with your point of disclosing some of your personal history to further the progress of research. To speak about experience is to process your own history and perceptions; speaking. Speaking and discussing about how history shapes our view, as well as how that view can create biases in our world-view is very important to bring to the surface and acknowledge. Drawing from my experience volunteering with the Mental Health Network, I know that speaking about experiences can open the floor and encourage others to do the same. That way, everyone in the process can come to a deeper understanding as to where the other participants are coming from.
However, one thing to note I think is that personal experiences can be very overpowering, possibly to the extent that other people’s opinions are not fully digested and processed. I think a balance is hard to strike, but once that balance is achieved, I believe that understanding can be achieved.
alison fung 2:31 am on January 21, 2016 Permalink |
Brenn – your point about everyone needing to try to dissolve boundaries from our experiences in order to conduct good research is very interesting. I have been thinking about how past experiences (work, volunteer, academic and personal) will shape our research, and ultimately, influence the development of Williams Lake. From experience in both government and non-profits, I wondered if I would veer to one side more when working on this project, and which side made more sense. While we need to balance our interests and past experiences to remain objective in order to contribute best to the sustainability of Williams Lake, it is our collective differences influencing the projects that makes this research so interesting as well. I also wonder, as the majority of us have not been to Williams Lake and are “outsiders”, how the community would react to this, and if they would be more or less interested in our views and work since we do not know the local context as well as they do.
When we are interacting with community partners and others, since it is so different than usual classwork, I am able to reflect on how experiential learning can be more beneficial (though not to say standard lecture learning is not useful too!). I am very appreciative that in this course we are getting to work with community partners and do “real work”. I have also found that when discussing strengths in my group, we were talking about skills from work and volunteer experience, rather than only academic strengths, which I have not experienced in other group projects at school. This class, to me, seems to be a great combination of work experience and school. Has anyone found a similar or different experience so far?
kzivny 8:51 pm on January 22, 2016 Permalink |
I like how you mentioned that it is our “collective differences influencing the projects that makes this research so interesting.” I love that the groups we are working with are so dynamic and every group member has a different background/experience or major/faculty. We can learn a lot from each other even just in the ways we conduct research. I have never been involved in a research project like this before where the outcome of our research has such a tangible impact on a real community. When you mention that we are “outsiders” to the Williams Lake community and wonder how they will react to our projects, I had similar thoughts when doing the activity the first week about our positionality as researchers. While we are still in the process of conducting background research on the community, it doesn’t feel as hands on yet as it will be when we start to develop our specific projects. That being said, I enjoyed the library workshop we just had on the different research tools we should take advantage of to help us with our projects!
bridgitte taylor 12:33 am on January 21, 2016 Permalink |
I echo many of the sentiments expressed above! One particular thought I had this week came after reading Fairhead and Leach’s article. I was reflecting on the notion of how important it is to stay away from Eurocentric, colonial impulses when approaching research and policy options – this is especially of interest to me as an IR student – and how important it is to instead consider systematic approaches. By the same thread, depending on our own positionality, it can sometimes be difficult to suggest deliverables that tackle systemic issues, while still wanting to provide tangible, accessible options. In the context of the article for example, they cite various recommendations provided by social scientists; while perhaps made in good faith, many of them fail to recognize the complexities that surrounded environmental degradation.
This is something I’m definitely trying to keep in mind when approaching our project – how can I contribute solid and useful policy recommendations (in our case, a carpool project), while still recognizing that the need for a carpool project is in part the result of various systemic barriers faced some of its potential users?
angelaho 12:41 am on January 21, 2016 Permalink |
I’ve really enjoyed looking through all of the blogs this week, as it gave me a better sense of how the rest of the class is doing with their research project. It seems like most groups are still in the early stages of identifying their research question and action plan. One blog that caught my eye belonged to the group working with the Cariboo Friendship Society. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to leave a comment on their blog, so I figured that I could share my thoughts here.
The group working with the Cariboo Friendship Society posed various research questions, but the one that interested me the most is the following:
“How do the effects of residential schools continue to be felt in Indigenous communities and what are the effects of foster care on child development?”
I was wondering how the Cariboo Friendship Society team plans to test out this research question. With regards to examining the effects of residential schools on Indigenous communities, how do you plan on exploring this topic? (i.e., will you conduct interviews, analyze data, etc?) Last week’s class activity on ethics reminds us to consider the ethical dilemmas that arise when conducting research on populations with vulnerabilities. From my understanding, uncovering and examining traumatic experiences can be traumatic in and of itself. Considering the sensitive nature of your research topic, does your group have a plan to safeguard against potential negative effects that arise from exploring a delicate and often personal subject?
I don’t expect the Cariboo Friendship Society team to have an answer right away, but I hope these questions will be useful in helping your group refine your research questions!
courtenay desiree crane 5:24 am on January 21, 2016 Permalink |
In response to the Chris Gibson article “Decolonizing the Production of Geographical knowledges? Reflections on Research with Indigenous Musicians”
I do not understand how it is possible to decolonize if you are already situating yourself in a post-colonial world. I would be interested in hearing Gibson’s reasons for using that term to label Australia today. I did not see a footnote or any reasoning behind using the term, so it seems like it is something naturalized or taken for granted as true and not needing an explanation. I do not agree with calling Australia post-colonial, or neo-colonial. This implies that colonialism had an ending point and the current state is somehow advanced beyond that. I do not see colonialism as a period of time in the past; I see it as an ongoing process. I agree with scholar Patrick Wolfe, who explains how settler-colonialism is “a structure not an event” (Wolfe, 388). “At an academic conference on post-colonialism” Aboriginal comedian Bobbi Sykes asked: ‘What? Post-colonialism? Have they left?’ (Bobbi Sykes, as quoted in Linda Tuhiwai Smith, 25).
Sources
Gibson, C. (2006). Decolonizing the production of geographical knowledges? reflections on research with indigenous musicians. Geografiska Annaler. Series B, Human Geography, 88(3), 277-284.
Smith, L. T. (2012). Decolonizing methodologies: Research and indigenous peoples (2nd;2; ed.). New York;London;: Zed Books.
Wolfe, P. (2006). Settler Colonialism and the Elimination of the Native.Journal of Genocide Research, 8(4), 387-409.
Marina Favaro 5:12 pm on January 22, 2016 Permalink |
I totally agree, Courtenay, and I also picked up on that in the Gibson reading, which I found incredibly valuable otherwise. There is so much power implicit in word choice and when I hear “post-colonial” it makes me uneasy that it is possible to dismiss the ongoing neocolonization and the systemic issues left in its wake. What I did find valuable about his contribution, especially in regards to our research project is that Gibson acknowledges that as a privileged party in the non-Indigenous researcher/Indigenous subject binary, “We could not speak for Aboriginal (persons), and ultimately, as non-indigenous writers employed in Australian universities, we were always forced to acknowledge and negotiate our alignment with these neo-colonial institutions.” (238) In this sense, he does acknowledge the ongoing colonization, refuting his sentiment about Australia as post-colonial.
I believe that the same concern is relevant to myself and my group, and also speaks to the sensitivity capacities that must be developed in order for us to be effective researchers and counterparts to our community partner. Furthermore, in spite of the respect for women historically in many Indigenous communities, demonstrable by matrilineal societies and reverence for clan mothers, I am aware that the colonial imposition of values has meant the disenfranchising of women in many communities. I wonder to what extent our predominantly female group will garner respect from the community members with whom we will be working with.
Anton Metalnikov 3:36 pm on January 26, 2016 Permalink |
While it is obviously at a much different level, your discussion of colonialism actually reminded me of the visit to Williams Lake we will all be making. In modern times, colonialism manifests itself in many different forms, and can be visible as much in cases of forceful takeovers as it is through something like cultural imperialism. Therefore, we must be careful when working with the citizens of Williams Lake to avoid imposing our own views and assumptions onto their issues, and really pay close attention to local customs we may not be familiar with. While this is especially true for groups such as my own, as we will be working with a First Nations group, I believe that remaining conscious of our own prior experiences, as May discussed in class today, is important to keep in mind no matter what group we are in. Balancing the ideas we have for our research projects with the desires of our community partners will be an ongoing theme to be mindful of as we progress through the term.
wileywilkins 2:03 pm on January 26, 2016 Permalink |
Today during class, we had a guest lecturer whom showed a short video clip. Before she played the video she asked us to write down what we noticed, or observed while we watched. After the video was over, she asked us to discuss with people next to us what we thought was going on in the video. And I thought to myself, and in the discussion that I had no idea what was going on in the video clip. I was able to compare it to things I have seen before and I was able to make some assumptions with my complete lack of knowledge. My ideas were as following: first I thought maybe it was arranged marriages- the girls looked awkward and nervous and the guys looked older. Then I noticed that the music in the background was Spanish so I thought that maybe it was a quinceanera celebration- however none of the decorations really resembled that, just the ages of some of the girls and the bright colors. By the end I decided I had no idea what I had watched. What I found interesting though, is that in my mind I wondered if my initial two ideas/guesses were in some way rude for me to have presumed- like oh, there is Spanish music and young girls- it’s a quinceanera- or oh there are nervous girls whom look like they are not from here with older men- its arranged marriages.
So when we were asked to share our ideas, knowing both of mine were wrong, but maybe decent guesses, I felt awkward to share them because I didn’t know if they would sound off color, I figured they would sound ignorant, but drawing the line between something ignorant and something offensive, I think is a hard line to draw. I wonder if it’s normal for all people in a research situation to have these thoughts, and assumptions based off of very little to no evidence as to what’s going on. And is it right to vocalize these assumptions if you don’t know anything that is going on.
Then I wondered, it has to be normal for anybody in a research situation in which they know nothing about what they are seeing, to make random guesses and assumptions, but when do random guesses and assumptions based off of what is seen cross into a realm of discomfort of even possible insult? As researchers should we just except that we are going to make wrong assumptions and possibly offend people, should we keep our mouths shut until we know what’s going on in all situations, or should we hope and assume people will be understanding of our outside presents and use this to direct our research, questions, and assumptions in a project?
amy luo 2:54 pm on January 26, 2016 Permalink |
I recently came down with a very bad case of bronchitis so I’ve been falling behind on class. However, I took a class with Siobhan last semester, Social Research Methods, so luckily I have some prior background and knowledge on the research methods we are learning about. Similar to this class, we had to conduct a research project with a community partner for that class, but our topic was focused on a UBC campus partner and reducing waste on campus. I’m excited for this course because already I’m learning a lot and thinking about my positionality in ways I didn’t think of in my last project. I think mainly because this course focuses on a community deeply rooted in aboriginal culture, which is something a bit unfamiliar to me. My last research project was to do mainly with students on UBC campus, which often we don’t think too hard about because as part of this group it seems so fluid. I’m glad to have this experience where I have to think harder and reflect more carefully on my positionality. What’s also been great so far is having Courtenay in our group, who is also of Aboriginal descent. On several occasions she has brought a lot of insider knowledge to our group and it have been really insightful to hear things from her perspective.
Marcus Jung 4:01 pm on January 26, 2016 Permalink |
Wiley, I understand exactly how you feel. When we were talking about what we perceived and when Mai was asking us what we thought, I was apprehensive and hesitant to speak my mind as I did not want to be unintentionally offensive with something I may have said. It makes me wonder whether it is what we are saying that makes something seem offensive or the way in which we say it. Perhaps it is something different in that we must acknowledge our lack of knowledge in this area. Considering our positionality, I feel that we as researchers or even as simply as students, we may be faced with these scenarios of discomfort when interacting with different communities, cultures, fields of study etc. An open question for everyone is whether there is a way to reduce or properly address this challenge of balancing expressing our own thoughts from the framework we have with not being (unintentionally) offence.
I also wanted to share that I am so thankful to be taking part of this class. Similar to a few other students in the class, I have been fortunate enough to have gone on UBC’s International Service Learning (ISL) program last summer to Uganda. The ISL is part of the Centre for Community Engaged learning and many of the concepts that I have learned in this program are brought up in our class, such as asset based community development and participatory observation. Upon returning home, I felt incredibly uneasy that all of this learning decelerated so quickly as we returned back to the busy school schedule. There were so many things that I wanted to explore but just could not find the time for. But this class is allowing to reinvestigate the things I have learned on my trip at a community level. Every lecture floods me with memories of my experience abroad which I am incredibly thankful for because I miss the family I have made Uganda so incredibly much and I have time to, in a sense, reconnect with my experiences.
Kasper Richter 4:02 pm on January 26, 2016 Permalink |
I don’t think that there was anything particularly wrong about those initial assumptions, because from what I understood that was the point of today’s exercise. In fact I imagine that those of us who do not have a great deal of knowledge about the local first nations groups will probably encounter similar situations as we are working on this project, as well as in future projects in general.
But when faced with such situations, whether in a research context or otherwise, I find that it works best to ask someone who is familiar with the subject matter to explain it for me either before or after the fact. Having the appropriate context is important to understanding different cultures and traditions, especially when one is supposed to conduct research on the subject presented to us. And generally, I’ve found that bringing attention to my own ignorance isn’t usually considered offensive. After all, I am an outsider in these instances. It is an unfair expectation that I should have the same cultural or social familiarity as someone who has been immersed in them. In fact, I feel that highlighting my own ignorance and asking someone who is more familiar with whatever it is I am experiencing shows that I am willing to learn and trying to understand.
Then again I am speaking as someone who has not taken many research methods classes. My own thoughts on the matter are indubitably influenced by this, and I invite the perspective of others to illuminate this topic even further.
cheng yee seah 11:19 pm on January 26, 2016 Permalink |
I agree with what both of you touched on, Kasper and Marcus! I think it’s definitely a normal experience to feel lost or confused with what’s going on during a participant observation as part of our research, especially when you are entering a new community where there may be cultural or social differences.
I think as May suggested today, it’s important when we are working with a community, that we are building these crucial relationships as part of the whole experience. A large part of our research is influenced and shaped by the researcher(s), so building these relationships with our community partner can help enrich our experience, but also their experience collaborating with you. At the same time, it may help us be more comfortable reaching out for help (or helping us answer our questions), and less chances of people getting offended if they are people you are working close to who understand your intentions. I think this feeling of discomfort as Marcus suggested is something we should embrace, as it often highlights our own positionality amongst a particular group of people, and it is usually the time when we can learn the most. Asking questions can often be a good sign to show that you are trying to build a mutual collaboration with your partners. It can help balance the power dynamics between the two groups by acknowledging and allowing our partners to know that we are not experts by any means, but that we are eager to learn more in order to collaborate on a project together.
I think it’s great that you are reflecting and questioning this awkwardness that you felt today too Wiley! I think being aware of all these thoughts and how you feel during this process is such a big part of participant observation, so it’s definitely a great start (and practice) in helping you take down useful notes when you have to. I initially had similar thoughts when I was trying to figure out what was going on in the video. It’s interesting how perhaps our past experiences/knowledge (or lack of knowledge) helps us try to make immediate connections to things we may be familiar with during such a time-pressured situation.
Melissa Lee 9:29 pm on January 26, 2016 Permalink |
I really enjoyed May’s lecture on participant observation today and found it very valuable for the research journey we are all about to embark on. I found her class activity in particular cut out the major differences in data collection between mere observation from afar and active participant observation.
I honestly was very unaware of the many considerations she laid out about performing this research method, especially the limits that it has (ex. we tend to privilege certain senses, becoming too focused on sight rather than smell for example; observation and representation are not “innocent”/objective because we approach situations with the prior experiences/unconscious biases we carry along with us; knowledge is differently valued; and ways of perception are different for each community). These limits, she says, reflect the constant ethical dilemmas she faces throughout her research. May has definitely opened my eyes up to be cautious and critical of my positionality and has reminded me to keep an open mind when entering research.
Nelly Leo 11:39 pm on January 26, 2016 Permalink |
Thanks for starting the discussion on today’s lecture Melissa! I had also never realized that we have tendencies to privilege sight and sound so I’m really glad that I can learn to reflect more on how my senses affect my observations of the world and the construction of realities around me.
While I agree that representations and objectives are never innocent, I’m wondering how information gathered through participant observations or other “less neutral” approach stand in academia and our science biased world? From my experience and how I have been taught so far, science (be it natural or social) is knowledge that is tested and should be able to replicated by others. There also seems to be a lot of emphasis on neutrality when conducting research to be able to produce a holistic and “trustworthy” result. The nature of participant observation incorporate researcher’s bias and understandings that would be very diverse if conducted by different persons. Are knowledges formed through such method considered equal to less personal approach?
Nelly Leo 11:52 pm on January 26, 2016 Permalink |
Thanks for bringing in the lecture as a discussion topic Melissa! Similar to your experience, I thought it was really eye opening to find out that we tend to privilege certain senses. It will definitely prompt me to reflect on my experiences and understanding of the world around me. It’ll be interesting to see why I construct certain realities based on which senses I use the most while in the moment.
On the topic of the lecture however, while i understand that observation and representations are never innocent, I wonder how methods such as participant observation or other “less neutral” approach in research fare in academia or in knowledge making? In my experience so far, I tend to see a preference in academia for neutrality in research or in knowledge making as detaching oneself supposedly creates a more objective knowledge, hence must be the real deal. I was also told that science (be it social or natural) is knowledge that is tested and replicable, the last component is important in preserving the “truth” value of science. Understanding that participant observation carries researcher’s bias and each individual researcher will make sense of things differently according to their own understanding/senses/background, etc, how does this method defends its credibility in creating knowledge that centres around narratives of people?
Cheng Yee Seah 11:56 pm on January 26, 2016 Permalink |
Can’t seem to find the box to start a new post sorry 🙁 But I definitely agree that today’s lecture brought out some key questions to do with positionality within research. I’ve also been thinking a lot about how this week’s reading has a lot of connection to our ideas of data collection and the power dynamics that plays into that. After today’s class discussion and completing our Week 3 assignment, I found many strong links between the two, and what this might mean for the next few months ahead. The reading definitely raised questions about who holds the power in deciding what should be documented and produced into data visualizations.
After going through many tables, charts and graphs over the weekend, it’s interesting to see how all this information went through filters/processes/exceptions in order to produce a set of data that can be displayed on a graph or a map. It made me think about how much information DOESN’T get displayed or shown, and how much it doesn’t tell us about a certain area or group of people. Although they can be very helpful at times, we often don’t think about how or who helped to produce this information, especially when they are from authorized and legitimate sources such as a .gov or .ca site.
Even though it’s still quite early in the semester, it may be interesting for your groups to consider how you guys might want to present your final findings. What will be the most appropriate and relatable way to display your data? Who is your main audience? How can we convey the data in such a manner that can keep the “human aspect” of the interviews, focus group discussions and genuine conversations that may take place over the course of our time at Williams Lake? It has definitely helped me think about “different” ways we can display our final project for School Dsitrict 27 in ways that can actually be useful to the students and community members in SD27. I think it will also be a good time to push these boundaries of how formal research is assumed and expected to be produced, as we often lose so much enriched value by doing so.
Donna Liu 12:28 am on January 27, 2016 Permalink |
I have also been thinking about the ways in which we might present our research. As May suggested in our lecture today, our role as researchers is to tell stories about the communities we may be observing and working with. Because we have the opportunity to build personal relationships with the community, we can work towards capturing a more visceral experience and knowledge of our research. I believe that our final projects have a lot of potential to be powerful tools that communicate stories of the communities at Williams Lake beyond academic formats. However, similarly to you, I have also considered how we may attempt to fit our findings into frameworks and tools that distort the voices of the community. Additionally, it will be interesting to see how our subjectivities will manifest in our research and how we may choose to address them or eliminate them from our presentation.
gabriel olivella 12:56 am on January 27, 2016 Permalink |
I would like to expand on the topic that Melissa brought up in this discussion forum about the presentation that we just had with May about participant observation. I have been thinking throughout the day about how the act of participating is essential in gaining a better understanding of the issue that is being studied. From my perspective, I think participant observation has more advantages than limitations when doing research. In principle, and this is my personal viewpoint, in order to grasp a good sense of what a research topic is, the researcher has to go through a previous process of investigation. This investigation has to obviously encompass the academic, but there is also an equally relevant side to research and that is the human take on things. Our human aspect possesses the main channels to our understanding as individuals: the senses. The acts of hearing, smelling, touching, chanting, and flowing along the patterns of the topic under research are to a great degree the natural way of profiting from innate open gates to knowledge and understanding that our physical bodies are able to attain through sensorial learning. Without putting aside the objectivity, rigour, and ethics that a research should ideally have, in my opinion I think members of the academia and researchers should consider paying more attention to the equally large source of learning that their senses could provide them by plunging themselves into the context of the topic under investigation. This statement particularly applies to social research, where the topic studied are humans (Very important) behaving in response to the information that they receive from their surroundings; a process that can only occur through sensing. By putting researchers into the temporary circumstance of the subject being researched, they can have a larger understanding of things, they can gain a deeper level of introspection about their study area, and they can get to scratch the sources of their topics by temporarily feeling them upon themselves. This is in my opinion the finality of research: a transformative process that has the power not only to shed light on social issues but also to persuade a target public in reflecting upon their own actions and beings.