Introduction
The research methodological analysis that I will be utilizing for the Data Collection and Analysis assignment is critical descriptive anthropology. This methodological analysis fits with my research end to convey consciousness to the unequal power constructions and subjugation bing within the collaborative kid public assistance and force against adult females ( VAW ) advocates relationship. Madison ( 2005 ) states that critical ethnographers have an “ ethical duty to turn to unfairness and unfairness within a peculiar lived sphere ” and “ moves below surface visual aspects, disrupts the position quo, and unsettles both neutrality and taken-for-granted premises by conveying to light implicit in and vague operations of power and control ” ( p. 5 ) .
Therefore, utilizing the critical paradigm embedded in this methodological analysis, I set out to bring out how issues of power, subjugation and inequality affect the collaborative relationship between kid public assistance and force against adult females ( VAW ) advocates that finally affect the services they provide to adult females and kids. Through analyzing the strengths and failings of their relationship, I intend to cast light onto how adult females and kids who have experienced domestic force and maltreatment are impacted by the power exerted by both service suppliers and their existing policies and political orientations.
Theoretical and Conceptual Lens
Conceptual Lenss:
Critical descriptive anthropology is defined as “ the ‘doing ‘ or ‘performance ‘ of critical theory. It is critical theory in action. ” ( Madison, 2005, p. 5 ) . Therefore, critical descriptive anthropology is innately connected
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to the critical paradigm, which will be the conceptual lens utilized to look into my research inquiry.
Critical theory is concerned with the mediation of power and laterality in society. Cohen, Manion and Morrison ( 2005 ) province “ critical theory seeks to bring out the involvements at work in peculiar state of affairss and to interrogate the legitimacy of those involvements… Its purpose is transformative to transform society and persons to societal democracy ” ( p. 28 ) . The critical theory constituent of critical descriptive anthropology differentiates it from mainstream descriptive anthropology, which is concerned with the observation and description of civilization or phenomenon. Critical theory modifies conventional descriptive anthropology by integrating a political docket which seeks to liberate society.
Theoretical Lenss:
Anti-oppressive theory provides a strong theoretical lens to utilize with critical theory and critical descriptive anthropology as both the former and the latter seek to bring out subjugation and marginalisation in society. It recognizes the intersectionalities of both clients and workers and can be used to foreground how statute law is entrenched in hetero-patriarchy. Similarly, at an organisational degree, anti-oppressive theory can assist to uncover the hegemonic patterns in kid public assistance which influences the relationship between VAW workers and child protection workers and impacts the bringing of services to adult females and kids.
Epistemology of Critical Ethnography
The epistemic underpinnings of critical descriptive anthropology are concerned with how the cognition of subjugation and power emerged historically and politically and its impact on
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determining dealingss in society. The potency of cognition production to reproduce and perpetuate impressions of power, subjugation and inequality in society is recognized. In add-on, critical epistemology includes an apprehension of the relationship between power and idea and power and truth claims ( Carspecken, 1996, p. 10 )
This attack is value-laden because it has a unfalteringly political docket. It seeks transmutation by exposing oppressive constructions in society, with the end to liberate society. Critical ethnographers are interested in hearing the narrations of their clients with the expressed docket to convey forth political alteration. It is besides value mediated because the research worker and the researched are interconnected, with the values of the research worker and the “ other ” act uponing the enquiry. However, it is of import to observe that while research is value-driven, the cogency claims of the research worker must run into strict criterions to avoid prejudice. ( Carspecken, 1996, p. 8 )
Furthermore, a critical ethnographic attack goes farther than other attacks. First, critical research workers acknowledge research worker prejudice and subjectiveness, as the research worker ‘s personal feelings and positions are a portion of the research procedure. The research worker is automatic, and is engaged in a changeless procedure of reviewing both objectiveness and subjectiveness. Second, research workers engage in an scrutiny of their positionality in relation to the other ( who is being studied ) . The research worker is engaged in a dialogical relationship with the other and remains grounded in their experience, as it is the concern for their status which is driving the research. Harmonizing to Madison ( 2005 ) “ duologue moves from ethnographic presence to the present by opening up passageways for readers and audiences to see and hold on the partial presence of a temporal conversation constituted by the other ‘s voice, organic structure, history and longings ( p. 10 ) .
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Ontology of Critical Ethnography
“ Critical descriptive anthropology begins from the premiss that the construction and content of civilization make life unnecessarily more awful, beastly, and short for some people ” ( Thomas, 1993, p. 33 ) . When carry oning research, critical ethnographers start with “ a position of what there is to cognize, an ontology, that furnishes a set of images and metaphors, in which assorted signifiers of societal subjugation constitute what is to be known ” ( Thomas, 1993, p. 34 ) . Therefore, ontological underpinnings of critical descriptive anthropology are concerned with how social constructions and systems oppress certain groups, while reenforcing power, domination and capitalist economy. It sets out to expose the deeper societal, historical and political significances in society which reinforce the marginalisation of some groups and how power and involvements mediate these dealingss traveling below the surface degree significance to expose how “ organic structures of thoughts, norms and political orientations create significances for building societal topics and constructs like gender, race and pupil ” ( Thomas, 1993, p. 34 ) .
Critical descriptive anthropology besides acknowledges that there are multiple worlds, which can be uncovered through integrating a narrative ontology. The narrations of participants are used to supply a rich description of their experience, as interpreted by the research worker to exemplify how issues of subjugation, power and inequality are runing in his or her life ( Thomas, 1993, p. 34 ) .
Unit of measurement of Analysis
For this research survey, “ dialogical information ” will be collected through a semi-structured interview with the purpose to cast visible radiation into organisational patterns bing within kid protection and VAW services that influences their collaborative relationship. A cardinal source
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who has worked both in kid public assistance and VAW services will be interviewed for 20 to thirty proceedingss.
Data Collection Tools
For this research survey, I will be questioning a individual person. A semi-structured interview will be used because it allows the interview to be sufficiently open-ended. The interview inquiries can be re-ordered, modified and the research worker can examine the participant with extra inquiries, if needed.
The interview will be recorded utilizing an audio recording equipment. Field notes and experimental notes of non verbal communicating will besides be taken. After the interview, extra notes will be made to capture anything that may hold been missed.
Strengths and Failings of this Methodology
One of the major strengths of critical descriptive anthropology is that it goes farther than a traditional descriptive survey, as it seeks to do emancipatory alterations in society. Its political docket efforts to transform society and portion narrations and experiences of laden groups. This methodological analysis besides attempts to include the participants in the research procedure, utilizing methods such as “ member checking ” ( Carspecken, 1996, p. 166 ) which helps provide persons who are frequently ignored from dominant discourses a voice.
However, one glowering unfavorable judgment of critical descriptive anthropology has been that we can non divide it from the historical and political context from which it emerged. This context is debatable as it effects the research worker ‘s epistemic place because the “ ethnographers institutional or
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stuff point of view within the mundane universe is seldom connected or made debatable in relation to his or her “ topics ‘ lived actualities ” . ( Jordan & A ; Yeoman, 1995, p. 393 ) .
While critical descriptive anthropology is supposed to take a bottom-up position, the bulk of its research workers come from an academic background, which is frequently in contrast of the material location of their participants. ( Jordan & A ; Yeoman, 1995, p. 399-400 ) . This influences the production of cognition and informations, as the relationship may be characterized by a power instability and differing worldviews as a merchandise of changing material locations. Furthermore, exposing inequality and subjugation in academic literature does non guarantee that alteration is created in the field.
Therefore, critical ethnographers become caught in a dual bind. On one manus, the research worker seeks emancipation and release for their topics, but they are constrained by their ain positionality and the establishments for which they work. Thomas ( 1976, p. 25 ) provinces:
“ We must ne’er go entirely dependent upon established establishments ; printing houses, commercial media, universities, foundations. Social intellectuals must busy some district which is their ain ; their ain diary, their ain theoretical and pattern Centres: topographic points where no one works for classs or fore term of office but for the transmutation of society ” ( Jordan & A ; Yeomans, 1995, p. 399-400 ) .
However, despite the research worker ‘s positionality, critical descriptive anthropology brings an chance to dispute traditional research and incorporate participant voices. It is besides exciting as it attempts to emancipate society from subjugation and hence, provides an alternate and welcomed pick to mainstream research.
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Analysis of Three Peer Reviewed Articles
The appendix will discourse three equal reviewed articles in a chart, which is on the undermentioned page. The chart is divided into multiple classs, which will discourse the unit of analysis, the sample group, informations aggregation and information analysis. I will reason the chart by analyzing the strengths and the failings of the methodological analysis in the articles and so associate it back to my research survey.
Decision
This paper set out to research critical descriptive anthropology as my chosen methodological analysis to carry on my research. Through composing this paper and reexamining the three articles, I know that critical descriptive anthropology will be utile in accomplishing my research end of foregrounding the subjugation and power in the collaborative relationship between kid public assistance and VAW workers. This is of import, as the relationship between these two sectors finally impacts the degree of service provided to adult females and kids.
