ABSTRACT
The work of liberation involves seeing and deconstructing the mechanisms that oppress, and then reimagining and reconstructing ways of thinking and being that enable girls and women to embody their full and equal human personhood alongside boys and men. Where there has been debate is about what this means in practice, particularly for female research participants who feminist researchers engage in their investigations. The author looks at one aspect of that debate – the way research interviews are conducted. Consistent with the early claim that is it not a particular research method but rather the way various methods are employed that determines their suitability for feminist research work, the author outlines use of structured interview schedules in exploring the lives of women in two research projects. The author introduces the projects, describes aspects of schedule design, explaining how the interviews proceeded in practice, and provides examples of the value of, and flexibility possible in, using a structured schedule.
