her Scientifics (and more than that): reflections on self-care, emotions, ethics, agency and power in feminist research

Abstract

In recent years, in academic contexts, both anthropological and feminist, we have sustained reflections on the need to carry out committed, situated and, in possible horizons, collaborative research. These reflections invite us to adopt pertinent and relevant ethical considerations with whom we do research. In this article I write from my experience as a feminist researcher and I present some examples with research that have led me to recognize the agency of the contexts in which we research and of the research itself, insofar as it produces experience in us, situates us and affects us in multiple dimensions, including our emotions. Especially derived from my experiences in collaborative research, I reflect on the mutability of the positions that we adopt as researchers but also as research subjects. I am talking about mutability of positions insofar as the experience that is produced from research is never and will never be static, neither for those who lead the processes, nor for those who collaborate in them. Our positions become more complex as they intertwine with our emotions and mutual affections that can come to mediate our experience with the research itself. In this sense, I also address the relevance of doing research with our circles, with our colleagues, friends, and peers, not only in academic contexts but also in activism. Finally, I reflect on the implications of positioning and situating ourselves in investigative experiences (collaborative or not), on the power dynamics that go through these experiences, and on the need to build self-care practices for researchers, starting from recognizing ourselves as sensitive beings.