ABSTRACT
It seems appropriate to begin a chapter on “Feminisms” by addressing the following questions: What is feminism? What is feminist qualitative research? What makes research feminist? While seemingly straightforward, these questions are complex, varied, and require further exploration, which I provide below. This chapter will navigate the researcher through the diverse landscape of feminist epistemological and methodological considerations. This chapter does not provide an exhaustive overview of feminist research. Indeed, there are a number of useful textbooks and readers on feminist research, feminist methodology, and feminist theory (for example, see Hesse-Biber, 2012; 2014; Jagger, 2013). Rather, this chapter is intended as an entry point into feminist methodology and feminist qualitative research, specifically in the areas of sports sociology/psychology, and to provide important considerations for those who are new to the field of feminist qualitative inquiry. It is informed by my own experience as an American feminist researcher in the field of sociology of sport, and shaped by my role as an instructor of courses on research methods and feminist methodologies. This chapter will draw from those experiences as a researcher/instructor, as well as original research studies in the fields of Sociology of Sports and Sports Psychology to offer the researcher insights into how he/she/they might embark on a qualitative research study utilizing feminist epistemologies. As in my courses, I hope to encourage the researcher to be mindful regarding how it is that feminism as a theoretical, methodological, or epistemological framework will inform their study/inquiry.
