Shifting power dynamics in interviews with children

A Minority Ethnic, Working-Class Researcher's Reflections

Bibliographic Data

ID2404161
AuthorsI Kostet (0000-0002-2061-5673, University of Antwerp, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume23
Issue2
Pages451-466
Publication date2023-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueQualitative Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1468-7941 • E-ISSN: 1741-3109
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/14687941211034726
OpenAlexW3188622106
LanguageEN
Citations received10
References cited47

This article aims to contribute to the literature on power dynamics and researchers' positionality in qualitative research, by shedding light on the experiences of a minority ethnic researcher with a working-class background. Drawing on Bourdieusian concepts, it discusses how middle-class children confronted the researcher with language stigma and how they, while drawing boundaries vis-à-vis those who 'lack' cultural capital, (unintentionally) drew boundaries against the researcher herself. In turn, it illustrates how during interviews with working-class children, manners had to be adopted with which the researcher is no longer familiar. This article calls on ethics committees to more strongly consider how researchers might become 'vulnerable' themselves during fieldwork and to acknowledge intersectional experiences that potentially cause power dynamics to shift, even in research involving groups that are socially believed to have little power, such as children

Ethnic group · Intersectionality · Pedagogy · Political science · Qualitative research · Social science · Sociology · Working class · Children's Rights and Participation · Gender Studies · Participatory Visual Research Methods · Psychology · Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics · Social Psychology