positionality Flashcards
(49 cards)
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Positionality — concise definition?
The shifting nexus of a researcher’s social location, epistemic allegiance, and field power relations that shapes every research decision.
Reflexivity — what does it demand?
Systematic self‑interrogation that logs how the researcher’s standpoint influences data collection, analysis, and representation.
Durkheimian ‘social facts as things’ — methodological meaning?
Treat social phenomena with disciplined detachment, submitting private prejudices to shared procedural rules.
Kuhn’s paradigm insight?
Scientific ‘facts’ are recognised within historically contingent frameworks; neutrality is aspirational, not automatic.
Burawoy’s Extended‑Case Method (ECM) — essence?
Use anomalies in situated fieldwork to revise macro‑theory through reflexive dialogue between observer and observed.
Geertz’s ‘thick description’ — core idea?
Interpret culture by embedding observed acts in multilayered webs of local meaning accessible via textual translation.
Writing Culture critique — key takeaway?
Ethnographic texts are political constructions; authors must expose narrative devices and privilege positions.
Ahmad’s ‘ethnography ≠ anthropology’ warning?
Conflating method with discipline hides geopolitical power that governs knowledge production.
Marcus’s multi‑sited ethnography — purpose?
Trace people or artifacts across locations to illuminate globally networked processes and shifting researcher roles.
Pink et al. on digital ethnography — novelty?
Records algorithmic mediation of presence; requires meta‑logs capturing interface effects on rapport.
Bernard’s mixed‑method relay principle?
Large‑N surveys map terrain; qualitative drills beneath — each phase critiques and enriches the other.
Goldthorpe’s ‘numbers & narratives’ integration rule?
Quantitative and qualitative findings only cohere when categories and variables align with shared theory.
Becker’s ‘How not Why’ trick?
Pose process‑oriented questions to avoid projecting motives that mirror the researcher’s own worldview.
Becker’s real‑time memo rule?
Capture reflexive flashes immediately to prevent retrospective sanitisation of bias.
Emplacement diary — what is logged?
Daily record of physical location, body posture, and access constraints signalling power hierarchies.
Adrenaline note — when used?
Written during or right after emotionally charged moments to preserve affective data.
Field‑note dual columns (Emerson et al.) — function?
Left column: description; right: commentary—protects subjective impressions for later analysis.
Interviewer identity register — why crucial?
Allows analysis of response bias linked to enumerator traits (gender, accent, dress).
Metadata diary in digital ethnography — content?
Logs platform roles, algorithmic feeds, timestamps, and visibility settings to contextualise online interactions.
Narayan’s ‘native anthropologist’ dilemma?
Insider scholars risk co‑optation by community or nationalist politics; insider status ≠ immune to power.
Thompson’s transcript‑return protocol — benefit?
Turns participants into co‑authors, enhancing accuracy and shared ownership.
Scott on documentary sources — caution?
Archives reflect earlier positionalities; analysts must read for silences and provenance biases.
Project focus — guiding research question?
How has the term ‘prep school’/‘hazırlık okulu’ shifted in meaning within Turkish higher education from 1950–present?
