A Revolution Reconsidered? Examining the Practice of Qualitative Research in Feminist Scholarship

Abstract

One of feminism’s most notable objectives is to revolutionize the practice of empirical inquiry. Many feminist scholars have advocated the adoption of qualitative research methods based on standpoint epistemology as a means of reducing power imbalances and giving voice to participants. However, there has been little attempt to systematically address the extent to which qualitative methods have been integrated into feminist social science research. There are a number of key factors that suggest that such a review is both timely and relevant for a reflexive feminist inquiry. Numerous scholars have drawn attention to the rigid and onerous ethical demands that feminist qualitative methodologies may entail, and the postmodern turn has challenged feminist standpoint underpinnings by asserting the discursiveness and ephemerality of all knowledge and experience. This article assesses the impact of these epistemological and methodological challenges on the ways in which feminist qualitative research is undertaken by summarizing a content analysis of recent academic feminist literature. We ask whether qualitative research continues to predominate in feminist social science research and, if so, which methods, in particular, are most prominent. We characterize the overall epistemological and methodological trends and implications based on a sample of mainstream feminist social science journals, noting congruence and divergence in theoretical and methodological advances in the field.