ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the role of political values in the research process. It focuses on feminist and indigenous methodologies because standpoint epistemology is practised. The political values of equality and community which often form the basis of our empirical work stand in contrast to the necessity of inserting ourselves peacefully and friendlily into an institutional hierarchy. The social sciences as a whole were greatly influenced by feminist philosophy of science and its insights into the situatedness of the knower. Feminist research ethics combine several different approaches, all of which, in some form or another, involve notions of dialogic relationships between the people involved in research processes and willingness for these relationships to be of a caring, nurturing kind. Feminist and indigenous scholars demonstrate the epistemic and political usefulness of this more reflexive approach The chapter suggests the qualitative research is currently practised understanding or Verstehen depends on the degree of similarity between researcher and research participants.
