Queering Fieldwork in Religion
Exploring Life-Stories with Non-Normative Christians Online
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/firn.34194Keywords:
Christianity, identity, non-normative, online, queer theoryAbstract
Scholars undertaking fieldwork in religion and theology engage on a practical level with participants/communities in order to understand religion as a living phenomenon. This article engages with queer theory as an approach to exploring the faith lives of non-normative Christians, by engaging with online communities. The article sets out the benefits and risks in terms of conducting such research in this way. Mobilizing queer theory is a challenging approach to research, as it questions established norms. It raises suspicions about what is perceived as normal and contests such perceptions by exploring those excluded. As queer is categorized by rupture to the “normal”, it serves as a catalyst to disrupt normative, established modes of research. Traditionally, fieldwork has often privileged notions of objectivity, emphasizing the role of the researcher in codified terms of neutrality. In the spirit of rupture, I offer personal and professional reflections on my ethnographic endeavours. The final section of this article discusses the subjective role of the researcher, noting how the positionality of the researcher can be a site of conflict.
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References
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Bampton, R., Cowton, C. and Downs, Y. (2013) ‘The E-interview in Qualitative Research’. Advancing Social and Business Research Methods with New Media Technology. Hershey: IGI Global, pp. 329-343. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-3918-8.ch019
Bampton, R., and Cowton, C. J. (2002) ‘The E-interview’. Forum: Qualitative Social Research [On-line]. Available at: www.qualitative–research.net/fqs/fqs-eng.htm.
Bargh, J. A., McKenna, K. Y. A., and Fitzsimons, G. M. (2002) ‘Can You See the Real Me? Activation and Expression of the ‘True Self’ on the Internet’. Journal of Social Issues, 58, pp.33–48. DOI: 10.1111/1540-4560.00247
Butler, J. (2004) Undoing Gender. London: Routledge.
Creswell, J. W. (2013) Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches. London: Sage.
Cutler, R. H. (1995) ‘Distributed Presence and Community in Cyberspace’. Interpersonal Communication and Technology: An Electronic Journal for the 21st Century, 3(2), pp.12–32. Available at: http://www.helsinki.fi/science/optek/1995/n2/cutler.txt
Gauntlett, D. and Holzwarth, P. (2006) 'Creative and Visual Methods for Exploring Identities’. Visual Studies. 21(1), pp.82–91. DOI: 10.1080/14725860600613261
Gerson, K. and Horowitz, R. (2002) ‘Observation and Interviewing: Options and Choices in Qualitative Research’ in May, T. (Ed.) Qualitative Research in Action. London: Sage, pp.199–244.
Greenough, C. (forthcoming, 2018), Undoing Theology: Life Stories from Non-Normative Christians. London: SCM Press.
Halberstam, J. (2011) The Queer Art of Failure. North Carolina: Duke University Press.
Hammers, C. and Brown, A. D. (2004) ‘Towards a Feminist–Queer Alliance: a Paradigmatic Shift in the Research Process’. Social Epistemology, 18(1), pp.85–101. DOI: 10.1080/0269172042000249408
Hewson, C., Yule, P., Laurent, D. and Vogel, C. (2003) Internet Research Methods: A Practical Guide for the Social and Behavioural Sciences. London: Sage.
Jackman, M. C. (2010) ‘The Trouble with Fieldwork: Queering Methodologies’ in Browne, K. and Nash, K. J., (Eds.) Queer Methods and Methodologies: Intersecting Queer Theories and Social Science Research. Surrey: Ashgate, pp. 113–128.
Kessler, K. (2011) ‘Showtime Thinks, Therefore I Am: The Corporate Construction of ‘The Lesbian’ on show.com’s The L Word Site’. Television and New Media, 14(2), pp.124–146. DOI: 10.1177/1527476411427046
Kincheloe, J. L. and McLaren, P. L. (1994) ‘Rethinking Critical Theory and Qualitative Research’ in Denzin, N. and Lincoln, Y. S. (Eds.) Handbook of Qualitative Research. California: Sage. pp.138—157.
Loughlin, G. (1996) Telling God’s Story. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Lövheim, M. (2013) ‘Identity’ in Campbell, H. A. (Ed.) Digital Religion. London: Routledge, pp.41–56.
Mann, C. and Stewart, F. (2001) ‘Internet Interviewing’ in Gubrium, J.F. and Holstein, J.A. (Eds.) Handbook of Interview Research. Context and Method. London: Sage, pp.603–628.
Mason, M. (2010) ‘Sample Size and Saturation in PhD Studies Using Qualitative Interviews’ Qualitative Social Research Sozialforschung, 11(3). Available at: http://www.qualitativeresearch.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/1428/3027
McClure, B. J. (2008) ‘Pastoral Theology as the Art of Paying Attention: Widening the Horizons’. International Journal of Practical Theology, 12, pp.189–210. DOI: 10.1515/IJPT.2008.9
Mills, C. W. (1959). The Sociological Imagination. New York: Oxford University Press.
Muers, R. (2004) Keeping God’s Silence: Towards a Theological Ethics of Communication. London: Blackwell.
Rooke, A. (2010) ‘Queer in the Field: on Emotions, Temporality and Performativity in Ethnography’ in Browne, K. and Nash, K. J., (Eds.) Queer Methods and Methodologies: Intersecting Queer Theories and Social Science Research. Surrey: Ashgate, pp. 25–41.
Stern, S. R. (2003) ‘Encountering Distressing Information in Online Research: a Consideration of Legal and Ethical Responsibilities’. New Media Society, 5, pp. 249–266. DOI: 10.1177/1461444803005002006
Stuart, E. (1997) Religion is a Queer Thing. London: Cassell.
Taylor, Y., Falconer, E., and Snowdon, R. (2014) ‘Queer youth, Facebook and faith: Facebook methodologies and online identities’ in New Media & Society, 16 (7), pp. 1138–1153. DOI: 10.1177/1461444814544000
Thomas, C. (1999) Straight with a Twist. Chicago: University of Illinois Press.
Thomas, D. R. (2006) ‘A General Inductive Approach for Analyzing Qualitative Evaluation Data’. The American Journal of Evaluation. 27, pp.237–246. DOI: 10.1177/1098214005283748
Wakefield, N. (1997). ‘Cyberqueer’ in Munt, S. R. and Medhurst, A. (Eds.) The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader: A Critical Introduction. London: Cassell, pp.20–38.
Ward, G. (2010) ‘Queer Theory, Hermeneutics and the Limits of Libertinism’ in Isherwood, L. and Jordan, M. (Eds.) Dancing Theology in Fetish Boots. London: Canterbury Press, pp.166–180.
Wengraf, T., (2008) version 8.12j: Life-histories, Lived Situations and Ongoing Personal Experiencing. Biographic-Narrative Interpretive Method: BNIM Interviewing and Interpretations: Short Guide and Detailed Manual [559] pages. Available by permission from author.
Published
2017-09-26
Issue
Section
Articles
How to Cite
Greenough, C. (2017). Queering Fieldwork in Religion: Exploring Life-Stories with Non-Normative Christians Online. Fieldwork in Religion, 12(1), 8-26. https://doi.org/10.1558/firn.34194
