Methodological dilemmas: gatekeepers and positionality in Bradford

G Sanghera, S Thapar-Björkert

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

    95 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    This paper explores the ever-evolving relationship between gatekeepers and the researcher, and the ways in which it may facilitate, constrain or transform the research process by opening and/or closing the gate. We explore the methodological issue of positionality and discuss the ways in which gatekeepers drew on different axes of the researcher's identities - religion, ethnicity, gender and age - in ambiguous and contradictory ways. In analysing this relationship, we locate the discussion within its historical context, as we contend that contextuality influenced the way gatekeepers positioned the researcher. This paper draws on the field experiences of the first author in four inner-city neighbourhoods in Bradford, West Yorkshire, a northern city with a well-established Pakistani Muslim community that has become synonymous with the Rushdie affair and the 1995 and 2001 urban disturbances.
    Translated title of the contributionMethodological dilemmas: gatekeepers and positionality in Bradford
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)543 - 562
    Number of pages20
    JournalEthnic and Racial Studies
    Volume31 (3)
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Mar 2008

    Bibliographical note

    Publisher: Routledge

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Methodological dilemmas: gatekeepers and positionality in Bradford'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this