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Abstract

For feminists, the question of what it means to take a feminist approach to the knowledge production process itself is of paramount importance. Drawing on postcolonial and intersectional thought and embedded in a discussion of the realities of the academic research process, this paper questions how an understanding of gender should shape such an approach. Ultimately, it argues the importance of moving beyond self-reflexivity alone and towards an understanding of research as a process of representation.

Starting from the intuition that feminist normative theorising should be grounded in women’s experiences, I first consider how the starting point and end point of feminist theory are intrinsically linked and always embedded within the contextual realities of academic research. Using feminist approaches to development as a springboard, I then examine how an intersectional understanding of gender should shape the feminist production of knowledge. I then argue for the importance of self-reflexivity for feminists seeking to ground their work in women’s conditions and experiences, while also challenging the ways in which it can lead to a reinforcing of existing unjust structures of power. Finally, drawing on Spivak’s exploration of the concept of representation and Alcoff’s analysis of the problems of speaking for others, I show that the concept of representation offers an alternative path for the feminist production of knowledge.

Author Biography

Alice Roberts Dunn is currently an MA candidate in Social Research at the University of York. She will be commencing a PhD in Politics at York in Autumn 2021, as part of an ESRC 1+3 studentship. She also recently graduated from the MPhil in Multi-disciplinary Gender Studies at the University of Cambridge. Her research is in feminist political theory, with particular focus on the representation of women, democracy, and group voting behaviour.

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