An ‘outsider within’: considering positionality and reflexivity in research on HIV-positive adolescent mothers in South Africa

Abstract

Using a feminist theoretical framework, this article reflects on the issues of power between ‘the researched’ and ‘the researcher’ and highlights the problematic of shared identities and dissimilarities. The article considers the epistemological challenges encountered by a Black female (mother) ‘foreigner’ researcher and the gendered implications of the insider–outsider binary in conducting doctoral research. Additionally, this article presents the personal reflections of the ‘outsider within’ during data collection, in order to contribute to ongoing dialogue on researchers’ reflexivity and positionality in qualitative research. It is the researcher’s responsibility to make a conscious effort in comprehending how paramount her position is, in order to negotiate and reflect relevant spaces during fieldwork. This article concludes that the insider/outsider dynamics do not necessarily work against the researcher/researched but could be appreciated for adding nuance and ambiguity to research.