Behind the mirror

Abstract

Abstract Reflexivity addresses both epistemological issues raised by the implication of the researcher in the production of knowledge and ethical issues that are appropriate for the research process (Finlay, 2002b; Stacey, 1988). This article proposes a reflexive academic knowledge practice that borrows from my own reflexive practice in social outreach work and a reflexive analysis of an ethnographic research process. Doing so, I contribute to a praxis of intersectional reflexivity that valorises identities as embodied and lived by people within particular historical and geopolitical contexts, without reducing them to abstract social categories (Yep, 2015). Through lessons learnt from both reflexive practices, I contribute to the expanding of a reflexive knowledge praxis that stays close to the lived experiences in the field and that takes into account the presence of the researcher and inequalities at play in every stage of the research process, without losing analytical rigor.