Making a difference with matter in researchers' positionality dynamics in qualitative inquiry.

Scholars have increasingly highlighted the usefulness of new materialist theories and methodologies in attempts to address the perceived shortcomings of conventional theories inspired by social constructionism and post-structuralism. Contributing to these discussions, we utilize a new materialist th...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Qualitative Research Vol. 25; no. 3; pp. 711 - 732
Autores principales: Adjei, Moses, Nung Chan, Annie Hau
Formato: pictorial Journal Article
Publicado: Sage Publications Inc. Jun2025
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
fields @attributes:
  recordID: 1
pdfLink:
plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=185837444&site=ehost-live
header:
  @attributes:
    shortDbName: ccm
    uiTerm: 185837444
    longDbName: CINAHL Complete
    uiTag: AN
  controlInfo:
    bkinfo:
    dissinfo:
    jinfo:
      jid:
        14687941
        NLI
      jtl: Qualitative Research
      issn: 14687941
      maglogo: Y
    pubinfo:
      dt: Jun2025
      vid: 25
      iid: 3
      pid: 344
      pub: Sage Publications Inc.
      place: Thousand Oaks, California
    artinfo:
      ui:
        185837444
        180667534
        185837444
        185837444
        10.1177/14687941241288186
        185837444
      ppf: 711
      ppct: 21
      formats:
      tig:
        atl: Making a difference with matter in researchers' positionality dynamics in qualitative inquiry.
      aug:
        au:
          Adjei, Moses
          Nung Chan, Annie Hau
        affil: 593528 Wageningen University, The Netherlands
      sug:
        subj:
          Qualitative Studies
          Researcher-Subject Relations
          Research Personnel Psychosocial Factors
          Professional Role
          Research, Social Work
          Social Constructionism
          Ontologies
          Interviews
          Ethnographic Research
          Ghana
          Fishing
          Spatial Behavior
          Conceptual Framework
          Access to Information
          Research Subjects
          Philosophy
          Gender Equality
          Age Factors
          Marital Status
          Open-Ended Questionnaires
          Interpersonal Relations
          Reflexivity (Research)
          Power
          Ethnic Groups
          Social Class
          Social Behavior
          Clothing
          Audiorecording
          Field Studies
      ab: Scholars have increasingly highlighted the usefulness of new materialist theories and methodologies in attempts to address the perceived shortcomings of conventional theories inspired by social constructionism and post-structuralism. Contributing to these discussions, we utilize a new materialist theory which rests on a monistic ontology drawn from Spinozian and Deleuzian assemblage theory to examine the constitutive role of material elements (e.g. audio recorders, video cameras, and dress/shirts worn during interviews), spatial, and discursive forces in co-creating fluid nonstatic researcher positionalities in qualitative research process. This article is part of a larger ethnographic study conducted by the first author among fisherfolk in Ghana's coastal fishing communities. Our results show that the researcher's fluid positionalities during interview encounters were brought to bear and sustained in space and time through the joint effort of material, discursive, and spatial forces. As qualitative researchers seek ways to ensure better understanding of their study communities through intimate interactions, an attention to the assemblage of material-discursive forces in interview encounters may highlight some of the opportunities and obstacles in qualitative inquiry beyond human agency and negotiations.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        pictorial
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
    refInfo:
    holdings:
      @attributes:
        islocal: N