Reflexivity as Interpretation and Genealogy in Research

Abstract

Building from conversations in a 2011 special issue in this journal, “Contestation and Opportunity in Reflexivity,” in which the omnipresent status yet contested terrain of reflexivity in research is highlighted, this essay takes up ontological and theoretical investments surrounding reflexivity as a way to map and make sense of what reflexivity does to research. After an overview of how reflection and reflexivity are currently put to use, Pillow turns to Kathy Ferguson’s essay, “Interpretation and Genealogy in Feminism,” as a model for tracing interpretation and genealogy in research reflexivity. Differentiating reflexivity as interpretation and reflexivity as genealogical identifies unmarked intentionalities in research as well as the irreducible necessity of both approaches in research reflexivity. The essay concludes with a discussion of how attending to the investments of reflexivity begins to address issues of epistemic privilege that continue to limit research.