Qualitative Researcher Vulnerability: Negotiating, Experiencing and Embracing

Qualitative Researcher Vulnerability provides conceptual, experiential, and practical insights into the vulnerability of the qualitative researcher. Compared to participants’ vulnerability, researcher vulnerability has seen limited attention in the qualitative research process, but yet it is an important consideration.

Drawing on an interdisciplinary group of authors―across criminology, education, feminisms, geography, health, kinesiology, nursing, management and organisation, policy, political science, psychology, sociology, and qualitative inquiry writ broad―the book explores the ways in which we might understand and work with researcher vulnerability, most notably in relation to ethics, risk, empathy, emotion, and power. Ultimately, the authors suggest researcher vulnerability is a vital component of our research practices throughout the research process, for emerging as well as experienced researchers. Whilst researcher vulnerability can be something to protect against, it is also something to be aware of, explore, learn from, work with, and at times (and with care and consideration) embrace.

This book is suitable for undergraduate, postgraduate students, and emerging and established researchers who are utilising qualitative research. It will be especially useful for researchers examining (potentially) sensitive topics, or for those who wish to develop more responsive, responsible, ethical, or reciprocal approaches to qualitative practices.

Chapter 4 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons [Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND)] 4.0 license.

Chapter 11 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons [Attribution (CC-BY-NC-ND)] 4.0 license.

Bryan C. Clift is Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) and Director of the Centre for Qualitative Research (CQR) in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and Department for Health at the University of Bath, UK.

Ioannis Costas Batlle is Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in the Department of Education at the University of Bath, UK, and a Co-Director of the Centre for Qualitative Research.

Sheree Bekker is Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in the Department for Health at the University of Bath, UK. She is a member of the Centre for Qualitative Research, Centre for Health and Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport (CHI2PS), and UK Collaborating Centre on Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport (UKCCIIS).

Katharina Chudzikowsi is Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Organisation Studies at the School of Management, University of Bath, UK.