Feminist Geography Unbound: Discomfort, Bodies, and Prefigured Futures ed. by Banu Gökarıksel, et al.

Abstract

Reviewed by: Feminist Geography Unbound: Discomfort, Bodies, and Prefigured Futures ed. by Banu Gökarıksel, et al. Reagan Yessler Feminist Geography Unbound: Discomfort, Bodies, and Prefigured Futures. Edited by Banu Gökarıksel Michael Hawkins, Christopher Neubert, and Sara Smith. Morgantown: West Virginia University Press, 2021. viii and 324 pp., index. $29.95 paperback (ISBN 978-1-949199-88-8). Editors Banu Gökariskel, Michael Hawkins, Christopher Neubert, and Sarah Smith weave together moving accounts of researchers' encounters with power dynamics to explore the differing strata of repression and empowerment in Feminist Geography Unbound: Discomfort, Bodies, and Prefigured Futures. The edited volume fulfills its selfproclaimed purpose as a call to action for researchers to view feminist geographical practices and traditional topics of study – such as indigenous and de-colonial feminism – as less niche and more necessary in mainstream geographical thought. The volume contains fourteen chapters, divided into three parts along the themes of discomforting encounters, gendered bodies in political struggles, and time in feminist futures. While the book is broken up into these themes based on the goals for each paper by their respective researchers, the greatest value of this volume comes from its ability to demonstrate ethical methodology. Rather than outlining theories and philosophies of how to perform field research in a respectful and ethical manner, Feminist Geography Unbound shows this by example. The volume emphasizes that, rather than aiming for a perfect experience conducting research with no biases or faults, it is better to aim for research that evolves with and includes those interviewed. Perhaps the most illuminating essay, in my opinion, which demonstrates methodology by example is "Brown Scholar, Black Studies." This paper follows the emotional spade work of Pavithra Vasudevan as she studies the effects of the Alcoa aluminum plant on the African American worker population of West Badin, North Carolina. Vasudevan documents her struggles with depression as she interviews this community and uncovers their history of community disruption and illness due to the geographical and economic positioning of the aluminum plant. Further, Vasudevan outlines how her academic rigor was questioned, as White men offered criticism for her emotional reaction to an emotionally volatile subject. Vasudevan shows an ethics in geography that should be practiced across the board: emotion is not weakness in research and empathizing with research subjects offers a more rich academic account when documented, as well as – and more importantly – a level of care and bonding with those researched that minimizes the possibility of viewing research populations as below the researcher. Carrie Chennault's following essay likewise offers lessons in feminist methodology, emphasizing the value of an imperfect interview and interviewer by outlining her own shock and complicity in racism as she documents her silence when a research collaborator used racial pejoratives to describe the local Hispanic population. Chennault's [End Page 82] account of her silence offers a model for researchers: perfection in the moment is an unrealistic expectation. More important is the capacity to recognize one's own faults and to record and learn from them, as well as to reach out to those who participate in research studies in a timely manner so as to accurately record the events in a study. Asking for multiple points of view allows for a multiplicity of voices that not only takes the pressure off of the researcher to be the sole documenter of a study, but allows research participants to have equal footing with the researcher. Both of these essays featuring instances of researcher discomfort were excellent resources on ethical methodology. They release the researcher from the pressure of sterility and perfection in the field, showing the necessity and value of imperfect research practices, which can lead to more in-depth analyses and greater bonding with the research population. The final section "Temporality and Feminist Futures" attacks the issue of how to create a feminist future within an ethics of care. Again, this chapter offers an ethical methodology wherein feminist researchers both care for their mentors and mentees, creating a comprehensive social care network that allows for women to escape the bonds of traditional family as the only network of care. Building on the emancipation of women from traditional nuclear familial bonds...