ABSTRACT
The chapter reflects on the experience of researching as a practitioner in the women's charity sectors, but also on the impact of personal identity as a researcher. The research considered the role of the media in shaping narratives about child sexual exploitation (CSE), particularly group-based CSE. It focused on the coverage from 2011 of several cases of CSE in Rochdale, Rotherham, and Telford. The issue of CSE has become heavily racialised following reporting of these cases as the perpetrators were groups of men predominantly from South-Asian and/or Muslim backgrounds, while the victims came from white working-class backgrounds. This chapter examines the strengths, difficulties, and considerations of drawing from knowledge garnered through subjective experiences of religious, ethnic, class, and gender identities by means of a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). Finally, it reflects on the impact of conducting research on future professional practice.
