Definition 2: Positionality

Definition

Positionality refers to how we are each situated within interlocking systems of privilege and oppression, shaped by factors such as race, gender, sexuality, citizenship, and class. These identity positions are dynamic and can expose us to varying degrees of privilege and marginalization, influencing not only our personal lives but also our interactions in research settings. Recognizing and critically reflecting on one’s positionality helps researchers mitigate potential harm, build trust, and foster culturally sensitive engagement with community members.

In Context

In the context of CER, academic researchers should reflect upon how research institutions have historically and continue to objectify, exploit, extract knowledge or labor from marginalized groups. 

At the same time, it is also important to recognize how  shared social identities can bridge connections with community members and lend researchers nuanced cultural insights and knowledge. However, researchers should remain mindful of potential harms and actively work to build trust with community partners and members.

Thus, it is key to engage in critical self-reflexivity. This is a process of deep and meaningful reflection about how our respective positionalities inform our biases, assumptions and power dynamics. Researchers should encourage a culture of critical self-reflexivity across the project team by initiating open conversations on how positionalities might shape engagement with research projects. It is also essential to be cognizant of positionalities in relation to potential research participants and the cultural protocols of the community being studied, such as consulting with community research partners. Efforts should be made to design questions and analytical frameworks that are culturally sensitive and appropriate for research participants.

Examples

• Catungal and Downling’s chapter, cited below, prompts readers to identify specific aspects of their positionality using a framework called the “Power Flower.” Consider a situation in which Gabrielle, a hypothetical CER researcher, used the Power Flower exercise to identify her positionality as a neurodivergent, heterosexual transgender woman with Asian descent who has permanent residency status in Canada. She may use this exercise to reflect upon how her positionality may place in her complex relationships with other members of the queer community and other researchers who hold formal citizenship or work/study visas.

• In the article “Reflections on Researcher Identity and Power”, the authors discuss how positionality has impacted their team, and how reflexivity can facilitate a safer environment. One team member shared the following: 

“As part of this dialectic exchange, I am much more prone to take risks in sharing my own voice and hidden narrative as a researcher of color; and as the research progresses, I am challenged to delve deeper into the layers that have constructed my identity. At its best, the research team helps me better understand my own internal dialogue and positionality which then externalizes into a stronger, more confident and freed researcher voice with a more social-justice embedded identity”. (Muhammad et al, 1055)

Reflection Questions

• Reflect on and write about any personal experiences where:

(a) your positionality may have helped facilitate interpersonal connection, and (b) your positionality may have re/produced harm. Examine these stories and discuss how these experiences could have been handled differently.