Fostering Stakeholdership in Research as an Approach for Mitigating Power Relations

Dilemmas 

Yahya Barry, PhD Candidate, The Alwaleed Centre, University of Edinburgh

Project Context: Islam & The Far Right

Issues Considered in my Model Design

Power Relations

Ethical & Pragmatic factors … study’s validity and reliability

Participatory Action Research

Tensions in Edinburgh Study

Being both insider and outsider

The observation: "detached responses", "understandable fatigue"

The question: what’s in it for me?

How I Adapted PAR

EXTENDED FIELDWORK/ ENGAGEMENT WITH PARTICIPANT

PRESENT STAKEHOLDERSHIP

Musafirah’s Portfolio

Data collected at Edinburgh

Peaceful Coexistence / Creations of Peace

Lived Islam

Edinburgh Data

Heard and not seen

S hut up sit dow n! S aid: her M other as she jumped excitedly as her father

came home.

S top talking! S aid: the T eacher as she w hispered in class.

D on’t interrupt! S aid: her Grandmother good girls are seen and not heard

D on’t tell! S aid: her M other in law A s she w ept from the pain

S top nagging! S aid her H usband

A s she begged him to stop.

S he stood, she w alked, she covered w ith pride. S he found her voice and covered her face.

The use of language in every day can have a profound and deep effect not only on the one hearing it but also on the one using it.My piece of work was inspired by the sight of a fully covered Muslim woman walking in the market place. I thought she looked like a swan majestic and still on the outside while under her niqab was a vast amount of emotion and ideas.This led me to contemplate the life as an ocean and how we sail our ship through it. At the same time considering the comments this women may hear on a daily basis about her appearance.My final idea was inspired by the expression “like water off a ducks back” this came when talking with friends about how words can some times really hurt and that not every thing is “like water off a ducks back”.I expanded my thinking and saw that the use of language to describe the “other” (people not of our own background). Can seem harmless, but has deep and lasting effect on us all.Name : MusafirahFemale, 44Scottish, reverted to Islam seven years agoDegree in AnthropologyMother of three sons and one daughterInspired, writer, poet and majestic swan.

So what?

Sharing an experience – no empirical/model claims

I found a tension … I used PAR trying it to its fullest extent

As a result my data is richer

N.B representativeness is not my aim, but to show the identity reconfigurations in this one participant being more clearly articulated because of her awareness that she has a stake

Heard and not seen

S hut up sit dow n! S aid: her M other as she jumped excitedly as her father

came home.

S top talking! S aid: the T eacher as she w hispered in class.

D on’t interrupt! S aid: her G randmother good girls are seen and not heard

D on’t tell! S aid: her M other in law A s she w ept from the pain

S top nagging! S aid her H usband

A s she begged him to stop.

S he stood, she w alked, she covered w ith pride. S he found her voice and covered her face.

A Critical Look at the ModelIs it realistic?

Is it relaible?

What are its strenths and weaknesses?

Implications: could it be used as a future model?