Abstract:
This paper argues for the importance of considering I constructing the self in the research
process as a methodological issue. The objective of the paper is to discuss the
researcher's subjectivity (despite its instability) as one of the key factors that inevitably
contributes to and compromises the researcher's choices and the directions of a research
study.
To do so I will take the example of my PhD research study on feminist research
methodology in Sri Lanka and focus on my own subjective positioning, interests and
motivations for focusing on this particular topic. I will then go on to consider the
ontological I epistemological understandings, theoretical influences and methodological
concerns that underpinned the progress of my work. .
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By consciously highlighting the operation of the researcher's self within researching, this
paper will serve to challenge the value attributed to the Positivist knowledge paradigm,
the criterion of objectivity and the use of scientific methods. It will underscore the
significance of utili sing reflexivity as mechanism that can provide validity for qualitative
research.
