Positionality statement
A positionality statement, also called reflexivity statement or identity statement, is a statement whereby a person, such as a researcher or teacher, reports and discusses their group identities, such as in a grant proposal or journal submission.[1][2][3] They became common in English-language publications, especially within the United States, in some fields of social science during the 2000s.[1][2][4]
Positionality statements focus on an "author's racial, gender, class, or other self-identifications, experiences, and privileges", under the belief that group characteristics influence research methods.[5] They have attracted considerable controversy on a number of grounds as "research segregation", "positional piety", and "loyalty oaths".[6][7][8]
In a positionality statement, an author may claim moral authority through affinity with subjects, or through a confession of difference of relative privilege. This has given rise to the concern that positionality statements can lead to "positional piety", where researchers are considered more or less credible based on race, gender, or other characteristics.[6]
Sociologists Jukka Savolainen, Patricia Schwerdtle, Justin Casey, and others characterized positionality statements as "a sneaky way to introduce identity politics within actual scholarship" and that "the real purpose of these frequently cringeworthy statements is to signal the authors' adherence to 'social justice' ideology and loyalties to selected identity groups".[9][8]
Positionality statements may exacerbate bias, as in with racial misconceptions in medicine. Identity can be complex and multi-dimensional, leading to potential conflicts or biases. Rather than public displays of positionality, which can be viewed as political loyalty oaths, alternative bias countermeasures include enhancing research rigor and transparency, practices promoted by the open science movement.[7]
In Education
Positionality statements have increased in popularity during the 2000s, required not just of researchers, but also students. A challenge has been the phenomenon of "phony positionality", wherein students learn to voice the beliefs expected in positionality statements without actually believing them. This "performative" positionality has been an obstacle to their adoption in the classroom.[10]
See also
- Identity politics
- Land acknowledgement
- Perspectivism
- Postmodernism
- Social constructionism
- Performative activism
- Loyalty oath
- Subjectivity – the idea that whether something is good or bad may depend on the speaker's relationship to it
References
- ^ a b Brown, Brandy (24 February 2022). "POSITIONALITY, INTERSECTIONALITY, AND PRIVILEGE IN HEALTH PROFESSIONS EDUCATION & RESEARCH". Maine Medical Center Institute for Teaching Excellence. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ a b Abdelghaffar, Alaa. "Positionality Statement". Loyola University Chicago. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ Wilson, Caitlin; Janes, Gillian; Williams, Julia (1 September 2022). "Identity, positionality and reflexivity: relevance and application to research paramedics". British Paramedic Journal. 7 (2): 43–49. doi:10.29045/14784726.2022.09.7.2.43. PMC 9662153. PMID 36448000.
- ^ Holmes, Andrew Gary Darwin (2020). "Researcher Positionality - A Consideration of Its Influence and Place in Qualitative Research - A New Researcher Guide" (PDF). Shanlax International Journal of Education. 8 (4): 1–10. doi:10.34293/education.v8i4.3232. S2CID 225278936. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ Massoud, Mark Fathi (2022). "The price of positionality: assessing the benefits and burdens of self-identification in research methods". Journal of Law and Society. 49. doi:10.1111/jols.12372. S2CID 251117464.
- ^ a b Cousin, Glynis. "Positioning positionality." New approaches to qualitative research: Wisdom and uncertainty (2010): 9-18.
- ^ a b https://www.chronicle.com/article/ideological-signaling-has-no-role-in-research
- ^ a b Savolainen, Jukka (10 April 2023). "'Positionality statements' smuggle identity politics into academia". UnHerd. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ Savolainen, Jukka; Casey, Patrick J.; McBrayer, Justin P.; Schwerdtle, Patricia Nayna (2023). "Positionality and Its Problems: Questioning the Value of Reflexivity Statements in Research". Perspectives on Psychological Science. doi:10.1177/17456916221144988. PMID 36780607. S2CID 256845423.
- ^ Macfarlane, Bruce. "Methodology, fake learning, and emotional performativity." ECNU Review of Education 5.1 (2022): 140-155.
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