Positionality The identity of us as a researcher as it relates to the social and political context of a research study. Our positionality is based on our past experiences and shapes how you approach the research process.
Positionality
Positionality is the identity of a researcher in relation to the social and political contexts of their study. Our research identities can influence and bias our perception of other people, institutions, and processes, which can impact power dynamics, and it is important to assess any biases before we begin our research (Lopez et al, 2021). Acknowledging power dynamics and potential biases in a study helps maintain the ethics of our research, especially when studying a population group different than our own. Positionality can be acknowledged in relation to a researcher’s race, ethnicity, abilities, culture, class, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, and lived experiences. These identities are given meaning and social influence by the societies we live in, and they affect how we interact with other people as well as how other people see us. Our positionality comes with experiences and perspectives that afford us unique insights that we bring into the research process.
A popular misconception states that research should be a neutral or objective process. In reality, we can never be completely neutral, because we all carry our experiences and perspectives with us along with biases influenced by our identities. The goal is to be aware of how and when our biases can affect our research so that we can make sure we don’t overlook certain voices or make assumptions about experiences that are not our own.
Some benefits of developing a positionality statement include “making transparent what shapes our work; displaying our values and commitment to ethics, diversity, inclusion, and belonging; decentering your position as the default/norm, especially if you are of a white colonizer/settler background; and removing assumptions” (Homan 2023).
A positionality statement is usually comprised of a few sentences describing a researcher’s identities in relation to their research. In the statement, you will explain how your positionality grants you a particular perspective on a topic and address how your positionality affects the gaps in your understanding of your research.
It’s worth noting that some researchers can have mixed feelings about published positionality statements. Especially for professionals within fields that are niche or may not include many colleagues of color, a positionality statement can make this more obvious during a peer review process (Colón-Aguirre and Bright 2022).
For example, if you are researching members of a particular library user group, your positionality statement can be the space where you note differences between your lived experiences and those of your research population. In this case, you will also want to indicate how you plan to include particular voices in your research or how you will interact with your research population in ways that include their perspectives instead of “othering” them.
In another example, you may be researching circulation workflows in your library consortium in order to prepare for an ILS migration. Your positionality in relation to experience, power dynamics, and decision making may inform how you approach your findings The section of a research article where researchers share the results from the research. This section takes the results and directly connects them to the research questions or hypotheses posed at the start of the article. Also can be called “Findings.” because your recommendations will affect a large population of library workers and users.
Activity
Complete the following reflective activity. You will answer a series of questions, and you may write down your answers in your LPOL Workbook or elsewhere.
The 1.1.2: Identifying Your Positionality activity in your LPOL Workbook is meant to help you think about your positionality and guide you through some questions to prepare you for writing a positionality statement for your research. First, you will list your identities within the given categories. Then, you will consider which of your identities are most critical to your overall sense of self.
As you think about the communities or user groups involved with your research, you’ll want to consider your positionality. Sometimes we can research within communities who don’t hold our same identity and in other instances, our positionality reveals to us that this isn’t the research we can (or should) pursue.
Topic 2 References
Castelló, Montserrat, McAlpine, Lynn, Sala-Bubaré, Anna, Inouye, Kelsey, and Isabelle Skakni. 2021. “What Perspectives Underlie ‘Researcher Identity’? A Review of Two Decades of Empirical Studies.” Higher Education 81 (3): 567–90. doi.org/10.1007/s10734-020-00557-8.
Colón-Aguirre, Mónica, and Kawanna Bright. “Incorporating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) into Research.” Journal of Education for Library and Information Science An interdisciplinary field that examines how physical and digital information is organized, accessed, collected, managed, disseminated and used, particularly in library settings. 63, no. 3 (2022): 237-244.doi.org/10.3138/jelis-2021-0013.
Gani, Jasmine K., and Khan, Rabea M. “Positionality Statements as a Function of Coloniality: Interrogating Reflexive Methodologies.” International Studies Quarterly, Volume 68, Issue 2, June 2024. doi-org.libproxy.lib.unc.edu/10.1093/isq/sqae038.
Homan, Sara. “Why Positioning Identity Matters in Decolonising Research and Knowledge Production: How to Write a Positionality Statement.” The Equality Institute (blog). February 15, 2023. https://www.equalityinstitute.org/blog/how-to-write-a-positionality-statement.
Holmes, Andrew Gary Darwin. “Researcher Positionality – A Consideration of Its Influence and Place in Qualitative Research Research that aims to understand the whys and hows of human behavior through the gathering of non-numerical data. – A New Researcher Guide.” Shanlax International Journal of Education 8 (4) (2020): 1–10. doi.org/10.34293/education.v8i4.3232.
Lacy, Marvette. “Just Tell Me What I Need To Know: Reflexivity The ability for a researcher to reflect on their own beliefs, judgements, and practices in order to understand how those things could have influenced their research. Reflexivity requires a researcher to challenge and unpack their own assumptions. and Positionality Statements.” Medium. April 25, 2019. https://medium.com/@Marvette/just-tell-me-what-i-need-to-know-reflexivity-and-positionality-statements-fb52ec0f4e17.
Lopez, Chris, Ravaei, Kian, Romero, Renee, and Sylvia Page. “Positionality and Research: How Our Identities Shape Inquiry,” UCLA Libraries. March 16, 2021. Video,2:20. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTHFud7fr8c.
Robinson, Oral, and Alexander Wilson. “A Note on Reflexivity and Positionality.” In Practicing and Presenting Social Research. UBC Library. 2022. https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/undergradresearch/chapter/1-2-a-note-on-reflexivity-and-positionality/
PositionalityPositionality The identity of us as a researcher as it relates to the social and political context of a research study. Our positionality is based on our past experiences and shapes how you approach the research process.
Positionality
Positionality is the identity of a researcher in relation to the social and political contexts of their study. Our research identities can influence and bias our perception of other people, institutions, and processes, which can impact power dynamics, and it is important to assess any biases before we begin our research (Lopez et al, 2021). Acknowledging power dynamics and potential biases in a study helps maintain the ethics of our research, especially when studying a population group different than our own. Positionality can be acknowledged in relation to a researcher’s race, ethnicity, abilities, culture, class, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, and lived experiences. These identities are given meaning and social influence by the societies we live in, and they affect how we interact with other people as well as how other people see us. Our positionality comes with experiences and perspectives that afford us unique insights that we bring into the research process.
A popular misconception states that research should be a neutral or objective process. In reality, we can never be completely neutral, because we all carry our experiences and perspectives with us along with biases influenced by our identities. The goal is to be aware of how and when our biases can affect our research so that we can make sure we don’t overlook certain voices or make assumptions about experiences that are not our own.
Some benefits of developing a positionality statement include “making transparent what shapes our work; displaying our values and commitment to ethics, diversity, inclusion, and belonging; decentering your position as the default/norm, especially if you are of a white colonizer/settler background; and removing assumptions” (Homan 2023).
A positionality statement is usually comprised of a few sentences describing a researcher’s identities in relation to their research. In the statement, you will explain how your positionality grants you a particular perspective on a topic and address how your positionality affects the gaps in your understanding of your research.
It’s worth noting that some researchers can have mixed feelings about published positionality statements. Especially for professionals within fields that are niche or may not include many colleagues of color, a positionality statement can make this more obvious during a peer review process (Colón-Aguirre and Bright 2022).
For example, if you are researching members of a particular library user group, your positionality statement can be the space where you note differences between your lived experiences and those of your research population. In this case, you will also want to indicate how you plan to include particular voices in your research or how you will interact with your research population in ways that include their perspectives instead of “othering” them.
In another example, you may be researching circulation workflows in your library consortium in order to prepare for an ILS migration. Your positionality in relation to experience, power dynamics, and decision making may inform how you approach your findingsResults The section of a research article where researchers share the results from the research. This section takes the results and directly connects them to the research questions or hypotheses posed at the start of the article. Also can be called “Findings.” because your recommendations will affect a large population of library workers and users.
Activity
Complete the following reflective activity. You will answer a series of questions, and you may write down your answers in your LPOL Workbook or elsewhere.
The 1.1.2: Identifying Your Positionality activity in your LPOL Workbook is meant to help you think about your positionality and guide you through some questions to prepare you for writing a positionality statement for your research. First, you will list your identities within the given categories. Then, you will consider which of your identities are most critical to your overall sense of self.
As you think about the communities or user groups involved with your research, you’ll want to consider your positionality. Sometimes we can research within communities who don’t hold our same identity and in other instances, our positionality reveals to us that this isn’t the research we can (or should) pursue.
Topic 2 References
Castelló, Montserrat, McAlpine, Lynn, Sala-Bubaré, Anna, Inouye, Kelsey, and Isabelle Skakni. 2021. “What Perspectives Underlie ‘Researcher Identity’? A Review of Two Decades of Empirical Studies.” Higher Education 81 (3): 567–90. doi.org/10.1007/s10734-020-00557-8.
Colón-Aguirre, Mónica, and Kawanna Bright. “Incorporating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) into Research.” Journal of Education for Library and Information ScienceLibrary and Information Science An interdisciplinary field that examines how physical and digital information is organized, accessed, collected, managed, disseminated and used, particularly in library settings. 63, no. 3 (2022): 237-244.doi.org/10.3138/jelis-2021-0013.
Gani, Jasmine K., and Khan, Rabea M. “Positionality Statements as a Function of Coloniality: Interrogating Reflexive Methodologies.” International Studies Quarterly, Volume 68, Issue 2, June 2024. doi-org.libproxy.lib.unc.edu/10.1093/isq/sqae038.
Homan, Sara. “Why Positioning Identity Matters in Decolonising Research and Knowledge Production: How to Write a Positionality Statement.” The Equality Institute (blog). February 15, 2023. https://www.equalityinstitute.org/blog/how-to-write-a-positionality-statement.
Holmes, Andrew Gary Darwin. “Researcher Positionality – A Consideration of Its Influence and Place in Qualitative ResearchQualitative research Research that aims to understand the whys and hows of human behavior through the gathering of non-numerical data. – A New Researcher Guide.” Shanlax International Journal of Education 8 (4) (2020): 1–10. doi.org/10.34293/education.v8i4.3232.
Lacy, Marvette. “Just Tell Me What I Need To Know: ReflexivityReflexivity The ability for a researcher to reflect on their own beliefs, judgements, and practices in order to understand how those things could have influenced their research. Reflexivity requires a researcher to challenge and unpack their own assumptions. and Positionality Statements.” Medium. April 25, 2019. https://medium.com/@Marvette/just-tell-me-what-i-need-to-know-reflexivity-and-positionality-statements-fb52ec0f4e17.
Lopez, Chris, Ravaei, Kian, Romero, Renee, and Sylvia Page. “Positionality and Research: How Our Identities Shape Inquiry,” UCLA Libraries. March 16, 2021. Video,2:20. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTHFud7fr8c.
Robinson, Oral, and Alexander Wilson. “A Note on Reflexivity and Positionality.” In Practicing and Presenting Social Research. UBC Library. 2022. https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/undergradresearch/chapter/1-2-a-note-on-reflexivity-and-positionality/