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Social Science Social Theory

Where Am I in the Picture?

Researcher Positionality in Rural Studies

edited by Claudia Mitchell, Katarina Giritli-Nygren & Relebohile Molestane

Publisher
University of Toronto Press
Initial publish date
Jan 2024
Category
Social Theory, Cultural, Professional Development
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781487547820
    Publish Date
    Jan 2024
    List Price
    $36.95
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781487533564
    Publish Date
    Dec 2023
    List Price
    $36.95
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781487506223
    Publish Date
    Jan 2024
    List Price
    $80.00

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Description

Positionality and researcher reflexivity – how to account for one’s subject position – remain as challenges for new researchers. But they also remain as challenges for experienced researchers, who are often involved in multiple research projects simultaneously. Where Am I in the Picture? sheds light on the idea of researcher positionality through visual methodologies, particularly in the context of studying rurality in Canada, Sweden, and South Africa.

 

The book is intended for new and experienced researchers seeking to decolonize their own perspectives in research in the social sciences and humanities. It incorporates photographs, drawings, and memory work to highlight the social constructedness of what counts as rural. Drawing together compelling narratives from researchers about their positionality in studying rurality, the book highlights a need for greater attention to “where we are in the picture” more broadly. It suggests that when it comes to the rural, researchers need to rethink the interplay of dominant images, insider and outsider perspectives, and what this interplay means in relation to interpretation. Where Am I in the Picture? presents a new vision of how to take into consideration positionality in research.

About the authors

Claudia Mitchell is a distinguished James McGill professor in the Department of Integrated Studies in Education at McGill University and an honorary professor in the School of Education at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Claudia Mitchell's profile page

Katarina Giritli-Nygren is a professor of sociology at Mid Sweden University.

Katarina Giritli-Nygren's profile page

Relebohile Moletsane is the JL Dube chair in rural education in the School of Education and the pro vice chancellor of social cohesion at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Relebohile Molestane's profile page