Abstract
Feminist epistemologies place value on disrupting dominant ways of knowing. Personal experience and struggle can serve as transformative sites of meaning-making. I have lived experience of sex work and of organised crime. In 2018, I endured two crown court trials, both as the wife of the defendant, and as a victim. This article will interrogate the complexities of occupying such liminal spaces and the role of emotion as a way of knowing.
Highlights
Much has been written about the advantages and challenges of ‘insider’ qualitative research; that is, contexts in which the researcher identifies as a member of the social group or community that is being studied (Dragomir, 2020)
Morris (2018) cites Goffman to explain how ‘discreditable’ people can pass as ‘normal’ provided they can successfully manage information about the source of the shame. It would be disingenuous if I failed to acknowledge that having the social capital to produce an academic article is a strong tool for impression management, and that being employed by a university affords me a status that does dilute some of the stigma I experience
Nor can it be claimed that my lived experience is broadly felt, or that women victims of organised crime gang (OCG) are a homogeneous group
Summary
Much has been written about the advantages and challenges of ‘insider’ qualitative research; that is, contexts in which the researcher identifies as a member of the social group or community that is being studied (Dragomir, 2020). O’Neill (2001) argues that feminist research works with the complexity of women’s lives and helps to create the academic and practical spaces for women’s voices to be heard, and in turn, for them to feel validated and involved. My experiences as a woman victim of male violence or members of an OCG urge me to remind people that women and children are often the collateral damage in organised crime.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
