Tips for Beginners
Writing
is all about clarity, organization, and style. This article is dedicated to the
process of writing research papers for qualitative feminist studies which
provides useful information particularly for those who are beginners at the
task. However, this article also provides useful information for those using
quantitative methods. In order to understand the issues surrounding the task of
writing a research paper for a feminist research study, we first need to
discuss two other related issues: feminist research itself and academic
writing.
Feminist Research and
Academic Writing
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Feminist
scholars have long been critical of mainstream modes of knowledge production
and how knowledge is expressed in conventional academic writing. Feminist
investigations are conducted based on feminist theory and perspective which
oppose male-centeredness in the development of frameworks as well as the use of
positivistic approaches that view knowledge as neutral and objective. Feminism
does not see the truth as being only one truth, but it acknowledges many truths.
Knowledge is not seen as being universal, but instead situated and partial. Following
feminist theory, the nature of feminist research is: transdisciplinary, combining theories and methods from across
various fields; self-reflective,
always conscious of the writer’s identity and interweaves the writer’s
experiences in the process of gaining knowledge; empowering, empowers the researcher/researched/readers; and transformative, its aim is social
change.
Consequently,
the current dominant form of academic writing which is largely influenced by
privileged, white, straight male in the academy is seen by feminists as silencing
the production of feminist knowledge and as being unsuitable for feminist
studies.
While
maintaining this critical view, feminist scholarship in general has kept its
writing style well suited to the conventions of current academic writing.
However, the praxis of feminist research methods has added new tools in their
investigations to allow for subjectivity and inclusiveness. In line with this, feminist
scholarship has set innovative examples which provide for flexibility, while
maintaining “validity”, in academic writing. Nevertheless, there are feminist
writers who have abandoned most of what they view as patriarchal norms in
academic writing.
As
this article is targeted at readers new to the topic of feminist research and
academic writing and who may be writing papers for course assignments, the
organization of thoughts proposed here are still in line with conventional
academic writing, however it shall draw on specific feminist qualities.
How to Write your Paper
The
following are tips to give you more insight on writing a research paper for a feminist
research study.
1.
Begin with a concise introduction and
clear problem statement.
Like any other paper, you have to be clear about the issue you are raising.
Your introduction should address what you are examining and the scope of the
problem. Your introduction should also set the context. Is the particular issue
you are raising a new issue (e.g., about a new economic policy, a new housing
policy) or is it an issue that has been raised over the years and continues to
be relevant (e.g., about unpaid care work, child care, violence against women)?
Or are you focusing on a specific period (e.g., the gender ideology of a past
government regime, the child care policy of a given government administration)?
Does the issue extend to a more specific context (e.g., the urban areas of a
particular country) or is your research wider in scope, such as a country case
study or a regional study (e.g., Asian)?
Feminism recognizes women’s diversity
and that identity is multifacet. Therefore, it recognizes that different women
may be impacted in different ways by a similar situation. Be clear from the
start about the women that your research is representing and whose voice is
being heard. Acknowledge elements such as class, location, marital status,
parental status, ethnic and religious background, education, disabilities, sexual
orientation, age, etc.
2.
Affirm the relevance and importance of
your issue in the introduction.
Demonstrate the relevance of your issue with current developments within your
field of study and within feminist discourse, and if relevant, with the
emerging issues of the day. Issues concerning women and gender are generally
treated as issues that are not as important as current political or economic
issues, so it would be good if you can relate your issue with current developments
and affirm its importance. Remember that your description of the issue you are
raising is shaped by feminist theory. Explain why the issue needs to be looked at
from a feminist or gender perspective.
3.
Write up a concise literature review. The issue you are raising may have
been raised before but from a different perspective. Point out where the
previous perspective is lacking. Explain why existing data or evidence may lack
“accuracy” because of androcentrism or because it has excluded women's
experience altogether and thus why a different approach is needed. Your inquiry
may have also been examined in other studies using different feminist
approaches. Explain how your research problem is connected to other previous
works. Explain the value added in your work. Discuss all this in a concise
literature review to demonstrate the depth of the problem and the body of work
related to your issue. If lengthy, you might need to put your literature review
in a separate section from the introduction.
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4. Elaborate your theoretical framework. If you're using a particular
feminist theory or if your approach to the matter is influenced by a particular
school of feminist thought, state clearly. If your research combines theories
from different disciplines, explain clearly how you have connected these
theories. Point out how feminist theory approaches truth and objectivity. State
how your theoretical framework contributes to feminist theory as well as
mainstream theoretical frameworks. Provide clear examples when explaining
theoretical concepts or technical terms. Concepts such as patriarchy,
phallogocentrism, matriarchy, and gender although widely used, have been used
in a too general sense or even have taken a different meaning, so you might
find it necessary to define them to avoid any misinterpretations. Although
usually avoided in conventional academic writing, in your explanation of
theory, I would say it is okay to use feminist jargons (e. g., the personal is
political) but to the extent that it is required and useful and can explain as
well as support your framework.
5.
Describe your methodology. Describe your approach to data and
method of organizing data/findings. Elaborate the methods you have combined (if
so) to obtain information. Explain why you chose this method(s) as well as cite
where the method(s) has been used before (if so) in previous feminist
investigations. Explain if you used specific participatory methods, interview techniques,
or group discussions to gain information from women and/or men. In this section,
you should also explain how the feminist theoretical framework you used is
reflected in the way you approach knowledge and gather facts (e.g., your
approach acknowledges that subjective experience shape knowledge). Finally, point out how your approach
contributes to feminist and mainstream methodologies.
6. Provide a good discussion of your
findings. In your
results and discussion section, remember that how you analyze your findings is
guided by the feminist theory you incorporate. Maintain this connection
throughout your discussion. Always keep
in mind that women are not homogenous, so do not generalize your findings and
avoid universalizing facts which you have collected. Discuss how the issue
affects the women in your study and how does it affect these women differently
than men. Discuss how your method (e.g., sharing of experience among the women
or with the women in your study, or how your participatory method—if you used
one) led to these findings. As feminism is all about change, relate your
findings with a course of action to promote change which you will develop later
in the concluding section. Note that you might find it useful to have a
separate results section from the discussion section.
7.
Wrap up with a good conclusion. Don’t just summarize your findings
in the conclusion section, but convince readers why the problem matters. Point
out the broader implications of your findings (political, economic, legal,
policy, etc.) and, just as important, what we have learned from your study. Again,
indicate how your study contributes to the development of theory or
methodology. Finally, propose a course of action, a solution to the issue, or
questions for further study. Note that some feminist studies involve or consult
with the people in the study during the process of constructing the conclusions
and formulating actions to be taken.
8. Provide correct referencing and
citations. To comply
with the academic rule of the game, choose a referencing style and use it
consistently throughout the paper whenever you are citing or borrowing other
people’s ideas and end the paper with a list of the references you used to
support your research. In the academic world, good referencing reflects the
author’s credibility and professionalism.
9. Regarding style. Feminist writing styles are known to
have subjective experience and feelings interwoven throughout the text—narrating
different truths and presenting conversations among various voices. Gender
neutral language is used throughout the paper, including using ‘she’ in place
of ‘he’ or applying ‘she or he’ and so forth (styles which have also been
adopted by some authors, who do not particularly identify themselves with
feminism, to avoid bias). Feminist writings also use language that demonstrates
resistance to the dominant ideology by coining new terms such as herstory and
womyn.
To Sum Up
Feminist research
and feminist academic writing are forms of activism, as they challenge dominant
conventions about neutrality, objectivity, validity, and the politics of
knowing. They provide us with tools to bring forward marginalized voices and to
prevent the repression of feminist ideas in the process of producing knowledge.
List of Readings
Coan,
Casely Emma (2012) It Feels (W)Ri(Gh)T(E) to Me: Feminist Identity and Academic
Writing. A thesis submitted to the Graduate School-New Brunswick Rutgers, the
State University of New Jersey [online] https://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/rutgers-lib/37379/.
Haraway, Donna (1988) Situated Knowledges:
The Science Question in Feminism and the Privilege of Partial Perspective. Feminist Studies Vol. 14, No. 3. pp.
575-599 [online] http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0046-3663%28198823%2914%3A3%3C575%3ASKTSQI%3E2.0.CO%3B2-M.
Sarikakis, Katharine, Ramona R. Rush, Autumn Grubb-Swetnam, and
Christina Lane (2009) Feminist Theory and
Research. In Stacks. Don W. and Salwen, M. B. (eds.). An Integrated Approach to Communication Theory and Measurement. New York: Taylor & Frances [online] http://homepage.univie.ac.at/katharine.sarikakis/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Feminist-Theory-and-Research1.pdf.
