Positionality and Power: Reflections of Non-disabled Researchers Working with Women with Disabilities in Botswana
摘要
Despite the high prevalence of individuals with disabilities in the Global SouthGlobal North/Global South, disability-related issues remain significantly under-investigated. Early conceptualisations of disability in these regions were mostly influenced by Western religious and cultural traditions, often leading to exclusion and stigmatisation (Grech, 2021). Furthermore, the dominance of Western researchers employing Western research paradigms has resulted in critical gaps in how researchers’ power dynamics and positionality influence research outcomes. We conducted a large-scale study that examined the status of people with disabilities in Botswana; in the same study, we also explored the challenges women with disabilities face in accessing healthcare. However, this study does not focus on experiences of these women; instead, it analyses our own experiences as ethnically diverse researchers and the positionality of non-disabled male researcher working within this research context. Collaborative autoethnography provides an alternative tool to challenge traditional Western knowledge, which often promotes unidirectional top-down research approaches. In this chapter, we critically reflect on our experiences as non-disabled male researchers researching with women with disabilities in Botswana. Intersectionality was used as a theoretical framework to understand the complexities of power and positionality of non-disabled male researchers while conducting research with women with disabilities in the Global South. In this study, we used collaborative autoethnography to reflect on how we neutralise our power and positionality between researchers. Our reflections served as data for the analyses, and we confronted biases related to masculinity, ethnicity, and sociocultural privileges. By independently reflecting and engaging in joint reflexive discussions, we sought to dismantle power asymmetries and cultivate a more participatory research space. Throughout the chapter, we advocate for a fundamental shift from researching on to researching with. Guided by principles of Botho (such as mutual respect, importance of togetherness) we framed our approach through intersectionality and autoethnography, we found that power, privilege, and positionality intersect in collaborative research.