An interesting topic that has been the source of debate in anthropology
as well.
Ruth Behar, Renato Rosaldo (1989) and many other reflexive
anthropologists have intentionally used the first person to acknowledge
their positionality in the writing of their ethnographies. It is a
"departure from the ideology of objectvity" (Marcus 1986 ???).
Reflexivity was originally proposed as a means of making the invisible
author's research methods visible and to encourage the researcher to
reflect on the impact of his/her presence in the field.
However, self reflexivity has been accused by other anthropologists as
getting lost in its subjectivity and turning into "confessional
literature" (Fardon 1990: 28) and by some as "pure fiction".
The following articles/url elaborate on the the advantages and limitaions
of positionality and value of reflexivity in anthropology and in
organizational research.
Robertson, Jennifer Ellen.
Reflexivity Redux: A Pithy Polemic on "Positionality"
Anthropological Quarterly - Volume 75, Number 4, Fall 2002, pp. 785-792
Researchers, Reflexivity, and Good Data: Writing to Unlearn
Audrey M. Kleinsasser
Theory into Practice, Vol. 39, No. 3, Getting Good Qualitative Data to
Improve Educational Practice (Summer, 2000), pp. 155-162
http://www.egosnet.org/conferences/collo23/sub_19.shtml
Uma
Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology
> Hi Chris,
>
> in some cases, such as feminist research, it is seen as a political
> imperative to use 'I' when writing your research as it acknowledges
> the person present in the text. Further, when referencing, the
> person's full name is included rather than just an initial, again,
> for the political purpose of putting the author's gender to the fore.
>
> cheers, teena
>
>>Hello everybody.
>>
>>As we are in the middle of the review process for the DRS2008
>>conference I thought it might be interesting to discuss some issues
>>from the reviewing. I'm in the very privileged position of seeing
>>for seeing a large number of the authors' proposals and reviewers'
>>comments and, while it would be wrong to talk about individual work,
>>I feel there might be value in looking at broader issues that come
>>up.
>>
>>One that struck me very firmly is the question of whether it is
>>appropriate to use the first person, "I" and "we", in writing about
>>your research. It is clear that some reviewers don't like it, seeing
>>it as an indication of lack of rigour. Some people instruct students
>>at all levels that they must not use the first person in essays etc
>>so this is not a minor question. When I Googled the topic of
>><academic writing "first person"> I found a great many university
>>student guides and other publications on the issue, most seemed to
>>support the careful use of first person but a minority assert the
>>convention of third person only. I have given four examples below of
>>which one is in the third person camp.
>>
>>My personal view is that it is perfectly acceptable to write in the
>>first person, and in some cases it may be helpful. Of course it is
>>absolutely essential that it is done with clarity and precision,
>>like all aspects of academic writing, and it seems to me that using
>>the first person is both an important acknowledgment of the role of
>>the researcher in the work and a challenge to the writer's rigour.
>>If you can write in the first person and be completely clear about
>>the way that you and your actions affect and effect the inquiry then
>>you have done yourself and your readers a great service.
>>
>>I could say a great deal more but I am interested to hear what
>>others have to say.
>>
>>regards
>>Chris
>>
>>PS
>>Here, below, are the examples that I referred to above.
>>Incidentally, as we are dealing with rigour I should acknowledge
>>that four examples picked from the first page of a Google search
>>might not be considered a scholarly resource. I did not go to Google
>>expecting to find the most authoritative publications on the topic
>>but I felt that it was a good way to find quickly some of the
>>resources that Universities offer their students. I checked that the
>>institutions were reputable places representing a range of different
>>kinds of universities. Three of the items are official guides for
>>students and the other is an article by an academic from a
>>distinguished university writing in a professional journal.
>>
>>Now I am aware that some people would do a similar quick trawl on
>>Google then present what they find as unqualified evidence of their
>>own broad knowledge. I must admit that I have done it myself in
>>moments of weakness but it is essential for us all to be clear and
>>precise about what we know and how we know it.
>>
>>Dartmouth College, USA
>>Dartmouth Writing Program materials for students, 'What is an
>>Academic Paper' available online at
>>http://www.dartmouth.edu/~writing/materials/student/ac_paper/what.shtml
>>"Watch your personal pronouns. Students often wonder if it's OK to
>>use the pronouns "I" and "you" in a paper. In fact, it is OK -
>>provided you use them with care. Overusing the "I" might make the
>>reader feel that the paper was overly subjective. In fact, when a
>>writer too often invokes himself in the first person, he may be
>>doing so to avoid offering proof: "It's my own personal opinion, and
>>I have a right to it. I don't have to defend it." But of course, he
>>does."
>>
>>Hull University, UK
>>Peter Wilson, 'Study Advice Series: Academic Writing' available
>>online at
>>http://www.hull.ac.uk/studyadvice/LearningResources/StudyGuidesPDFs/acadwrit.pdf
>>"Write in the third person ('it', 'he', 'they' etc.). Avoid the
>>first person ('I', 'me', 'my' etc.) - particularly in the singular."
>>
>>University of North Carolina, USA
>>UNC Student Handout: 'Should I use "I"?' available online at
>>http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/should_I_use_I.html
>>"In some projects, you need to explain how your research or ideas
>>build on or depart from the work of others, in which case you'll
>>need to say "I," "we," "my," or "our"; if you wish to claim some
>>kind of authority on the topic, first person may help you do so."
>>
>>Conall Hamill, of Queens University, Belfast has written on this
>>issue in the context of nursing education, noting that the use of
>>third person has become a rigid convention in his field, with
>>unfortunate consequences for many students' work.
>>Hamill C (1999) Academic essay writing in the first person: a guide
>>for undergraduates. Nursing Standard, 13, 44, 38-40. available
>>online at
>>http://www.nursing-standard.co.uk/archives/ns/vol13-44/research.htm
>>
>>*********************
>>Professor Chris Rust
>>Head of Art and Design Research Centre
>>Sheffield Hallam University, S11 8UZ, UK
>>+44 114 225 2706
>>[log in to unmask]
>>www.chrisrust.net
>>
>>Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the
>>future of the human race. - H. G. Wells
>
>
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