Through the Lens of a Black Woman: Black Feminist Poetic Artful Inquiry in/With/for Qualitative Methodologies

Abstract

In this article, I intentionally and predominantly #CiteBlackWomen and explore Black feminist poetic artful inquiry. I begin with artists and creatives, Solange Knowles and Cauleen Smith, to initiate the argument of “poetics” as theory, analysis, poetry, and other creative work. I discuss artful inquiry before defining and conceptualizing Black feminist poetic artful inquiry, exploring what it does and makes possible in/with/for qualitative methodologies. I present a poetic offering that highlights how a Black feminist poetic artful inquiry lens informs my research and lived experiences. I encourage qualitative research scholars to identify Black women’s intellectual contributions and promote Black women’s liberatory work as models for in/with/for qualitative methodologies. I invite Black women scholars to acknowledge how the academy’s training intentionally attempts to dissociate Black women from our ancestral knowledge. Finally, I encourage us to (re)member and embrace Black feminist poetic artful inquiry in our research and lived experiences.