Decolonizing interpretive research: subaltern sensibilities and the politics of voice

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 94-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonia Darder
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Production ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Critical Discussion ◽  
Specific Reference ◽  
Interpretive Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Intellectual Labor ◽  
Decolonizing Methodology ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the notion of decolonizing interpretive research in ways that respect and integrate the qualitative sensibilities of subaltern voices in the knowledge production of anti-colonial possibilities. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws from the decolonizing and post-colonial theoretical tradition, with a specific reference to Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak’s contribution to this analysis. Findings Through a critical discussion of decolonizing concerns tied to qualitative interpretive interrogations, the paper points to the key assumptions that support and reinforce the sensibilities of subaltern voices in efforts to move western research approaches toward anti-colonial possibilities. In the process, this discussion supports the emergence of an itinerant epistemological lens that opens the field to decolonizing inquiry. Practical implications Its practical implications are tied to discursive transformations, which can impact social and material transformations within the context of research and society. Originality/value Moreover, the paper provides an innovative rethinking of interpretive research, in an effort to extend the analysis of decolonizing methodology to the construction of subaltern inspired intellectual labor.

scholarly journals Signs of dystopia and demoralization in global academia

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 136-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Geppert ◽  
Graham Hollinshead
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Production ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Critical Discussion ◽  
Subjective Experiences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Academic Communities ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Work And Employment

Purpose This paper has been written in the style of a provocative essay. This paper aims to show how neo-liberalism has become the leading “policy doctrine” in higher education (HE) systems across the globe. This has put increasing systemic political and economic pressure on many universities which not only undermine but also “colonize” the Lebenswelt or “lifeworld” (Habermas, 1987) of academics. Design/methodology/approach This study draws on concrete empirical examples based on the authors’ subjective experiences within the higher educational sector and secondary sources. Findings The authors highlight and illustrate how the increasing dominance of “neo-liberal science” principles (Lave et al., 2010) severely damage the quality of knowledge production and working conditions of ordinary academics in both national and international academic communities. Practical implications This paper provides insights into the practical implications of the spread of “neo-liberal science” principles on the work and employment of academics. Originality/value The authors aim to trigger critical discussion concerning how emancipatory principles of teaching and research can be brought back into the Lebenswelt of academics to reverse some of the destructive effects to which this paper refers to.

Contemporary Japanese art: between globalization and localization

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eimi Tagore-Erwin
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Critical Discussion ◽  
Western World ◽  
Power Structures ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Japanese Art ◽  
Art Historians ◽  
Western Hegemony ◽  
Global Art ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyze the influence that globalization has had on the development of the contemporary Japanese art production. The study also aims to expand the global narrative of Japanese art by introducing concepts behind festivals for revitalization that have been occurring in Japan in recent years. Design/methodology/approach Guided by Culture Theorist Nira Yuval-Davies’ approach to the politics of belonging, the paper is situated within cultural studies and considers the development of contemporary art in Japan in relation to the power structures present within the global art market. This analysis draws heavily from the research of art historians Reiko Tomii, Adrian Favell, and Gennifer Weisenfeld, and is complemented by investigative research into the life of Art Director Kitagawa Fram, as well as observational analyses formed by on-site study of the Setouchi Triennale in 2015 and 2016. Findings The paper provides historical insight to the ways that the politics of belonging to the western world has created a limited benchmark for critical discussion about contemporary Japanese art. It suggests that festivals for revitalization in Japan not only are a good source of diversification, but also evidences criticism therein. Research limitations/implications Due to the brevity of this text, readers are encouraged to further investigate the source material for more in-depth understanding of the topics. Practical implications The paper implies that art historiography should take a multilateral approach to avoid a western hegemony in the field. Originality/value This paper fulfills a need to reflect on the limited global reception to Japanese art, while also identifying one movement that art historians and theorists may take into account in the future when considering a Japanese art discourse.

Reflections on the socio-politics of qualitative research

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 325-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert J. Mills
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Qualitative Methods ◽  
Knowledge Production ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Sociology Of Knowledge ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
Politics Of Knowledge ◽  
Qualitative Approaches ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – A focus on the socio-politics of qualitative research and, given the space available, to raise more questions than answers. In other words, the author wants to be more speculative then definitive. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is grounded in a sociology of knowledge approach known as ANTi-History. Findings – The development of qualitative methods is grounded in the socio-politics of knowledge production. Research limitations/implications – The focus chosen – ANTi-History – is selected in exclusion to other potential approaches. Practical implications – To encourage researchers to include socio-politics in understanding the production of qualitative research methods. Social implications – Identification of the socio-politics that underlie qualitative approaches. Originality/value – The paper is rooted in a developing approach to the socio-politics of knowledge of the past.

False binaries in management history, and the scope for a postcolonial project

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nidhi Srinivas
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Historical Research ◽  
Historical Events ◽  
Disciplinary Knowledge ◽  
Current Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Historical Texts ◽  
Management History ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to offer a postcolonial approach that goes past current management history controversies. Design/methodology/approach Discussion of current management history controversies with examples. Findings Post-colonial approaches to management history enable engagement with questions of power and knowledge in the management discipline. Research limitations/implications Further historical research is needed that considers the interplay of disciplinary knowledge and the historical events under question, especially in post-colonial settings. Practical implications It is essential to engage with historical texts and interpretations to better understand the contextual limitations to management as a discipline: a better understanding of disciplinary pasts enables us to better understand the present. Social implications By considering management’s pasts, this paper can acknowledge more closely how the discipline continues to retain colonialist assumptions that need to be challenged and changed. Originality/value Examples of management history from formerly colonized regions.

The logic and integration of coproductive research approaches

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik Lindhult ◽  
Karin Axelsson
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Production ◽  
Research Methodology ◽  
Collaborative Research ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Family ◽  
Development Processes ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to clarify the methodological logic of coproductive research approaches like action research, collaborative research, interactive research and participatory research in a way that can clarify its effectiveness and scientific qualities in high quality knowledge production, and show the way that it can be integrated with institutionalized textbook science.Design/methodology/approachThe paper clarifies the character of coproduction as research methodology concept, the logic of coproductive research approaches, and its characteristics compared to quantitative and qualitative methodology. A model for characterizing research approaches from leading textbook social science is developed to specify the character of coproductive research approaches and support integration in mainstream research methodology discussions.FindingsThe paper develops a research methodology framework for coproductive logic and approaches to research, to support the integration of this type of approaches in mainstream research methodology.Research limitations/implicationsThe developed model of coproductive research approaches is not empirically described. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test and further develop the model in relation to cases and designs of research projects.Practical implicationsThe paper is helpful for guiding the design of coproductive research in practice, i.e., in research project development or in research methodology education.Social implicationsThe development of coproductive research approaches supports making science relevant and useful for solving pressing problems and improving social conditions. It also is enabling stakeholders to participate in research and development processes, thus the democratization of research and knowledge production.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to integration of the family of coproductive approaches in mainstream research methodology discussion through the development and elaboration of a framework for organizing the description and development of coproductive research approaches. The aim is that the framework is valuable for both academics, practitioners and students in designing coproductive research projects.

“[T]here are known knowns … things we know that we know”

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 1796-1819 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivo de Loo ◽  
Alan Lowe
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Interpretive Research ◽  
Critical Aspect ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Accounting Research ◽  
Accounting Practice ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Interpretive Sociology ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The starting point for this paper is that the researcher is intimately bound up in all aspects of the research process. This idea of what is a critical aspect of much interpretive methodology has been challenged by some proponents of the interpretive accounting research (IAR) project. The authors suggest that adopting some of the views expounded in the IAR project may lead to the accounting research community becoming isolated from other interpretive methodology inspired disciplines. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach Currently popular views on IAR are informed by selective theoretical insights from interpretive sociology. The authors argue that these insights cannot provide a general frame with which to encapsulate accounting research that may be reasonably termed “interpretive.” Findings The authors’ reading of the literature suggests that the some of the IAR literature exhibits: a tendency to routinely make overly specific claims for what it is possible for interpretive research to achieve; the promotion of a somewhat reductionist view of what the bounds of interpretive research are. The authors suggest that these tendencies detract from the strengths of (adopting a broad view of) IAR. Research limitations/implications In expressing the authors’ concerns, the authors do not wish to make an exclusive argument for what IAR is and is not. This would not be in line with writing an interpretive paper. While the authors do not eschew the possibility of a limited building of knowledge by applying interpretive methodological stances neither do the authors see such activity as a central plank of interpretive research. Practical implications The authors believe that positivistic commentaries on qualitative enquiry should not be taken as exemplary of interpretive research (in accounting – or elsewhere). The authors feel that IAR needs to be more open to an array of subjectivist motivations, if it is to provide useful critique of the nature of day-to-day accounting practice. Originality/value The authors seek to go beyond the rather unhelpful debate about whether IAR should be seen to possess both objective and subjective elements. The authors argue that IAR suffers more from a lack of engagement and debate than it faces dangers from areas of interpretive methodology that adopt positions considered to be too subjectivist.

A multi-perspective approach to knowledge production

Kybernetes ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 1412-1424 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Seaman
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Production ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Survey Methodology ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Contemporary Research ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Technological Concepts ◽  
Brain Sciences ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss a Multi-perspective approach to knowledge production in terms of a set of cybernetic concepts relevant to the approach; to describe a software system that computationally embodies the approach; and to articulate a research project that pragmatically employs the approach. Design/methodology/approach – A definition is provided. The paper uses a survey methodology, exploring relevant cybernetic and contemporary technological concepts. An operational software mechanism (The Insight Engine) is discussed that enables the bridging of transdisciplinary concepts by a user in the service of accretive research –Recombinant Informatics. Findings – Many cybernetic concepts are relevant to contemporary research into cognition and Neosentience research. More study needs to be undertaken related to historical BCL projects in terms of articulating relevance to contemporary research. Research limitations/implications – Future research seeks to extend the computational functionality of “The insight engine”, as well as uncover relevant BCL/cybernetic materials. Practical implications – The software is unique in the field and already there is interest in its use by differing research communities including the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, and at Stanford, research under Ian Hodder. Social implications – The Insight Engine has potential to be used as a multi-perspective tool for many different fields enabling different forms of distributed, transdisciplinary team-based research. Originality/value – This text is valuable to researchers interested in new forms of interface, augmentation of thought and learning via computational approaches; and the development of bridges between novel research areas, including contemporary, historical BCL, and other cybernetic inquiry.

Organizational-level visual identity: an integrative literature review

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Magnus Kristian Gregersen ◽  
Trine Susanne Johansen
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Critical Discussion ◽  
Brand Identity ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Extant Literature ◽  
Visual Identity ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe aim is to review and discuss main conceptualizations, themes and assumptions within organizational-level visual identity (VI) in order to identify potential avenues of theoretical advancement of VI as an independent construct.Design/methodology/approachAn integrative review approach offers a structured, nuanced perspective on the concept by synthesizing extant literature through an iterative, critical and qualitative process.FindingsThe synthesis identifies three overlapping terms [corporate visual identity (CVI), visual brand identity (VBI) and VI] and two main themes (visual consistency and authenticity). The dominant assumptions underpinning consistency and authenticity are challenged by alternative understandings, which provide a platform for perceiving visual consistency and authenticity in new ways.Research limitations/implicationsThe review offers an overview of organizational-level VI that helps define the concept as well as critical reflections which open up for additional research avenues that may develop it and point to potential areas for exploration.Practical implicationsThe review provides practitioners with a platform for discussing how to approach visual identities with regards to consistency and authenticity.Originality/valueThe review contributes with a synthesis of VI literature covering 50 years. It offers a structured presentation of and critical discussion on the underlying, dominant assumptions. By challenging these dominant assumptions, a palette of future research opportunities, with potentials to nuance and develop the concept as a unique construct, are presented.

scholarly journals Psycho-emotional disability in the marketplace

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (11) ◽  
pp. 2675-2695
Author(s):  
Leighanne Higgins
Keyword(s):  
Consumer Research ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Interpretive Research ◽  
Access Barriers ◽  
Emotional Disability ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Emotional Model ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose Through adoption of the psycho-emotional model of disability, this study aims to offer consumer research insight into how the marketplace internally oppresses and psycho-emotionally disables consumers living with impairment. Design/methodology/approach This paper draws insight from the interview data of a wider two-year interpretive research study investigating access barriers to marketplaces for consumers living with impairment. Findings The overarching contribution offers to consumer research insight into how the marketplace internally oppresses and psycho-emotionally disables consumers living with impairment. Further contributions offered by this paper: unearth the emotion of fear to be central to manifestations of psycho-emotional disability; reveal a broader understanding of the marketplace practices, and core perpetrators, that psycho-emotionally disable consumers living with impairment; and uncover psycho-emotional disability to extend beyond the context of impairment. Research limitations/implications This study adopts a UK-only perspective. However, findings uncovered that the model of psycho-emotional disability has wider theoretical value to marketing and consumer research beyond the context of impairment. Practical implications The insight offered into the precise marketplace practices that disable consumers living with impairment leads this paper to call for a revising of disability training within marketplace and service contexts. Originality/value Extending current consumer research and consumer vulnerability research on disability, the empirical adoption of the psycho-emotional model of disability is a fruitful framework for extrapolating insight into marketplace practices that internally oppress and psycho-emotionally disable consumers living with impairment.

A critical reflexive perspective on othering in collaborative knowledge production

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helle Merete Nordentoft ◽  
Birgitte Ravn Olesen
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Production ◽  
Collaborative Research ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Healthcare Setting ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Development Projects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Collaborative Knowledge ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to show power mechanisms of in- and exclusion in moments where certain participants appeared to be othered in two collaborative research and development projects in a healthcare setting. Design/methodology/approach The paper contributes to critical-reflexive analyses of reflexive processes within collaborative knowledge production. The authors use an analytical framework combining Bakhtin and Foucault to investigate processes of inclusion and exclusion in the interplay between dominant and subordinated voices in a moment-by-moment analysis of two incidents from interdisciplinary workshops. Findings The analysis illuminates how differences between voices challenge participants’ reflexive awareness and lead to the reproduction of contextual power and knowledge hierarchies and the concomitant silencing of particular participants. Thus, the findings draw attention to the complex and ethical nature of collaborative knowledge production. Practical implications To invite researchers to be reflexive about the complex, situated and emergent character of reflexive processes and consider ethics to be a critical stance that encourages continuous reflection and critique of collaborative knowledge production. Originality/value To show the importance of not sweeping incidents in which participants are othered “under the carpet” in collaborative research. To present an analytical framework for analysing the contextual and emergent nature of collaborative research processes and discuss the ethical conundrums, which arise in the research process.

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