Producing emotionally sensed knowledge? Reflexivity and emotions in researching responses to death

Evans, Ruth; McCarthy, Jane Ribbens; Bowlby, Sophie; Wouango, Joséphine; Kébé, Fatou

doi:10.1080/13645579.2016.1257679

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Producing emotionally sensed knowledge? Reflexivity and emotions in researching responses to death

Evans, Ruth; McCarthy, Jane Ribbens; Bowlby, Sophie et al.

2017 • In International Journal of Social Research Methodology

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https://hdl.handle.net/2268/247278

DOI
10.1080/13645579.2016.1257679

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Keywords :

Bereavement and responses to death; emotions in research; reflexivity and positionality; feminist ethic of care; meanings of ‘family’; Senegal

Abstract :

[en] This paper reflects on the methodological complexities of producing emotionally-sensed knowledge about responses to family deaths in urban Senegal. Through engaging in ‘uncomfortable reflexivity’, we critically explore the multiple positionings of the research team comprised of UK, Senegalese and Burkinabé researchers and those of participants in Senegal and interrogate our own cultural assumptions. We explore the emotional labour of the research process from an ethic of care perspective and reflect on how our multiple positionings and emotions influence the production and interpretation of the data, particularly exemplified through our differing responses to diverse meanings of ‘family’ and religious refrains. We show how our approach of ‘uncomfortable reflexivity’ helps to reveal the work of emotions in research, thereby producing ‘emotionally sensed knowledge’ about responses to death and contributing to the cross-cultural study of emotions.

Research Center/Unit :

DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

Disciplines :

Human geography & demography

Author, co-author :

Evans, Ruth; University of Reading - UK

McCarthy, Jane Ribbens; Open University - UK

Bowlby, Sophie; University of Liège, UK

Wouango, Joséphine ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences sociales > Département des sciences sociales

Kébé, Fatou

Language :

English

Title :

Producing emotionally sensed knowledge? Reflexivity and emotions in researching responses to death

Publication date :

2017

Journal title :

International Journal of Social Research Methodology

ISSN :

1364-5579

eISSN :

1464-5300

Publisher :

Taylor & Francis, United Kingdom

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Additional URL :

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13645579.2016.1257679

Available on ORBi :

since 08 May 2020

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