Qualitative Inquiry For Social Justice

In increasing numbers, qualitative researchers are leaving their ivory tower perches and entering the fray, focusing their research and actions on the promotion of social justice. In this tightly edited volume of original articles stemming from the 2008 International Congress on Qualitative Inquiry, leading figures in qualitative research demonstrate the potential for the research tradition to make contributions to the betterment of humankind.

This textbook introduces students, researchers, and activists to the practice of qualitative inquiry that contributes to fairness, freedom, and flourishing in community life. The book takes a cyclical approach to research and action by using the metaphor of the four seasons (spring, summer, autumn, and winter) and the day cycle (dawn, day, dusk, and dark) to organize the content and activities. It lays out the step-by-step process of community-based research projects and guides readers in how to plan projects with diverse partners, generate data while participating in direct action, reflect on experiences and analyze complex data, and share insights with others through various modes of writing and presentation. Specific skills include planning, fieldwork, interviewing, thematic analysis, modeling, writing, and presenting. This innovative book provides tools for readers to conduct qualitative research that generates knowledge that can aid policy change, political mobilization, social movements, and organizing to meet universal human needs and rights. The book is tailored to advanced undergraduate and graduate students in qualitative research methods courses in communication studies, sociology, education, social work, and public health and is also useful for professionals who use inquiry in their occupation, such as program design/evaluation, solidarity/solutions journalism, nonprofit leadership, and community development. Online resources, including worksheets, lecture slides, facilitation tools, and sample assignments, are available at www.routledge.com/9780367567651

Qualitative researchers increasingly flock to social justice research to move beyond academic discourse and aid marginalized communities and groups. This is the first textbook to address the methods of conducting qualitative research using a social justice paradigm. The book addresses the differences that a social justice stance requires from the researcher, then discusses how major qualitative methodologies are employed to create social justice in both the process and products of qualitative research. In this book-chapters cover grounded theory, phenomenology, ethnography, participatory action research, and other key qualitative designs;-methods chapters are written by experts in that methodology;-case studies illustrate show this style of research in action;-material is tightly organized and edited for course use although there are multiple authors.

Questions in Qualitative Social Justice Research in Multicultural Contexts take readers on an accessible and inspiring journey to critically self-reflect on current or future research practices to encourage and facilitate greater equity, inclusion, and social justice in qualitative research. In a diverse world, "doing" qualitative research needs unpacking and developing awareness of interconnected perspectives and challenges. However, as researchers, there is not always a chance to fully prepare or self-reflect on the processes and experiences. This book raises awareness of key multidimensional aspects of social justice, such as power, privilege, trust, insider-outsiderness, ethics, arts-based, co-produced, and decolonial research. The authors connect theory and conceptual constructs with practical in-field realities, guiding researchers through the dynamic, evolving steps to give voice to and promote social justice practices in research. The book includes the following features to guide thinking for researchers and students: Bolded key terms and questions for self-reflection. Boxed case studies from both top international scholars and emerging scholars. Glossary of key terms. This foundational book can be used as a jumping-off point to engage and critically self-reflect about research moving us towards decolonizing research practice, creating more inclusive, equitable, and socially just research. It will be suitable for upper-level and postgraduate students and all researchers interested in qualitative methods in education and the social and behavioral sciences.

Three Approaches to Qualitative Research through the ARtS: Narratives of Teaching for Social Justice and Community incorporates aesthetic education into social justice discourses and advances qualitative research strategies through the medium of three theoretical frameworks: phenomenology, critical ethnographic research, and poststructuralist theories.

Oral History and Qualitative Methodologies: Educational Research for Social Justice examines oral history methodological processes involved in the doing of oral history as well as the theoretical, historical, and knowledge implications of using oral history for social justice projects. Oral history in qualitative research is an umbrella term that integrates history, life history, and testimony accounts. Oral history draws from various social science disciplines, including educational studies, history, indigenous studies, sociology, anthropology, ethnic studies, women’s studies, and youth studies. The book argues for the further development of a pedagogical culture related to oral history for educational research as part of the effort to diversify the range of human experiences educators, community members, and policy makers incorporate into knowledge-making and knowledge-using processes. Early career researchers, novice researchers, as well as experienced researchers are invited to join social science educational researchers in developing their own oral history projects using all of the tools, dispositions, and epistemologies affiliated with qualitative inquiry. The book will be of use in courses on qualitative research methods, history, anthropology, women’s studies, and education disciplines as well as by community organizations who want to use oral history to preserve the history of communities and advance social justice projects.

This volume of plenary addresses and other key presentations from the 2013 International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry shows how scholars convert inquiry into spaces of advocacy in the outside world. The original chapters engage in debate on how qualitative research can be best used to advance the causes of social justice while addressing racial, ethnic, gender, and environmental disparities in education, welfare, and health care. Twenty contributors from six countries and multiple academic disciplines present models, cases, and experiences to show how qualitative research can be used as an effective instrument for social change. Sponsored by the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry.