Queering

Research. Cri0cal research

methodologies from Peer to Peer
David Bern, Eva M. Herrero, Fernndo Villaamil, Ariel Jerez.
Facultad de Ciencias Pol0cas y Sociologa
Universidad Complutense de Madrid

To Stablish

Why we are in this?

Personal background: Work experience with excluded
groups (Roma, baSered women, pros0tutes, transsexuals,
lesbians and gays, minori0zed social movements,
indigenous, etc). These works broke something inside us
and aroused in us a certain emo0onal and poli0cal
sensi0vity.
Theore0cal background: Queer Theory, Postcolonial
Studies and poststructuralist philosophy.
Social and Poli0cal Context, Local and Na0onal. Global crisis
not only economic but also cultural and intellectual.
Personal Situa0on: Im Fagot, Im women,. this is my way
for think and live, all live, to may scien0c work, and we
dont want to be normal in any aspect of our lives.

Theore0cal Support

Queer studies are an space of academic research and produc0ons result and
accomplice of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) struggles that
became at 1990s. Queer posi0on implies an academic cri0cal posi0on that
ques0ons understandings of gender and sexuality, iden0ty poli0cs and
hegemonic discourses on heteronorma0vity. But specially it ques0ons
mechanisms of truth produc0on. Queer studies usually are joined with cri0cal
research paradigms like feminism and post-colonial studies. in fact, the queer
posi0on results from lgtbq people being thrown out from feminist, migrant
and ethnic ac0vist spaces in America.
Are commonly known queer theore0cal produc0ons, usually philosophical.
But queer work have also been made methodological knowledge produc0on.
These are less known, but their importance is crucial.

And before this, in our discussions, the following

challenges arise to overcoming, or at least call into
ques0on

1. Colonial Heritage of Social Research / Know to domes0cate / Know to

demonstrate the inferiority / Know to s0gma0ze

2. Academic arrogance product of the indolent ra0onality (Santos 2005). Scien0c

knowledge is always higher than that produced by the subjects in their daily life.

3. Cogni0ve c0on of Produc0on of truth / Objec0vity / Posi0vism

4. Rela0ons of Power-Knowledge. Desubjec0vize and transform subjets to objects.

5. Assume that science is subjec0ve, situated and produced by men, white,

heterosexual and middle and upper classes.( Donna Haraway )

A bit of History


-Great technological, scien0c, ideological, social and poli0cal changes occurred in the
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

-These were part of a re-ar0cula0on of reality which led to new regimes of power.
Foucault: Power disciplinarian who cares life of popula0ons. Before regimes to
manage death, allowing life, but never will care (New geopoli0cal and economic
system: capitalism and na0on-state).

-That life care Foucault will call biopoli0cal regime Power, which take care of life.
disciplining, taming and controlling the subjec0vity of individuals = Construc0on of
subjects by Regimes of Power..
-And how was done this?
-Alliance between producers of knowledge, poli0cal structures and disciplinary
ins0tu0ons (hospital, factory, school)
-Change in veridic0on regimes. God is banished and the man took center. The
belief is replaced by Reason.
-A speech was imposed: The posi0vist-ra0onalist prism is the only one capable of
crea0ng knowledge through hypothe0cal-deduc0ve method.
- Modern science is the only way to know the reality and correct the mistakes of
individuals and communi0es. Only through the Scien0c Objec0vity (Stengers, 1993).

And them, What are we do?

Our Methodological propousal



Dialogic interview/ Peer to Peer
Dialogues

Cualita0ve Interview
The interview is dened as a conversa0on
between two or more people in a par0cular
place for a specic purpose. Technically it is a
scien0c research method that uses verbal
communica0on to collect informa0on regarding
a specic purpose (Grawitz, 1984: 188; Aktouf,
1992: 91; Mayer and Ouellet, 1991: 308). The
researcher asks ques0ons and the interviewee
answers their ques0ons. He describes his
experiences, opinions, aspira0ons, etc.

How we dene the Dialogic interview/

Peer to peer dialog

A face-to-face situa0on (Mayer and Ouellet, 1991: 308; Taylor and
Bogdan, 1996), where reciprocal exchange occurs through the use of
verbal and body language.
All those present occupy the informant / interviewer roles. All ask and
be asked.
The informant is not a representa0ve of a par0cular social group. It is
present from its par0cularity. From this posi0on they converse.
In this interrela0onship, the reality is reconstructed from the
connec0ons between subjects present on common experiences.
The direc0on of informa0on depend on the real experiences of both
individuals and not the research objec0ves. This can be a problem or
an advantage.

How we do it? I
First steps:
Sample: 24 youngs in couples.
Sample Selec0on: Youngs arround 19 and 25
years old, with lgtbq iden00es or non
heterosituated prac0ce who live in madrid.
Selec0on methodologies: Snowball(Beaud,
1983:187).

How we do it?II:
Nego0a0on

Nego0a0on of Topic.
Nego0a0on of Partner.
Nego0a0on of Dura0on.
Nego0a0on of physical space.
Nego0a0on of archive support.

Nego0a0on of Interview Partner

The use of the snowball recruiment technique
facilitated the pairing:

Some of the youth were already known directly.

Others were friends of friends. So there was already a
prior trust and security.
In cases where they did not know. We told them
supercially who could be (Studies, age, orienta0on
expressed desire ac0vism, friends) poten0al
candidates and they chose).
In two cases expressed the need to do it with a
stranger / a. They expressed feeling more comfortable
with strangers.

Nego0a0on of topic
Distendid dialogue with young people individually
about their situa0on and the situa0on of young
LGBTIQ from their point of view. This was guided by a
set of topics that the team thought that might interest
and coincided with the interests raised in the research
hypothesis.
The topics selected for interview were those in which
the young put more interest and engaged more 0me
to talk.
We then performed an outline / guide with the
selected topics. This paper scheme was provided on
the day of the interview.

Nego0a0on of archive support.

Not all media (video, sound, etc.) represent the
same interference in the development of the
interviews. Write, record video or audio,
condi0on dierently the dynamics developed in
communica0on.
Finally all chose the audio recorder. Previously
we thought that this medium was the least
invasive means. We give when we express this
approach op0ons. (Perhaps we inuence, yes,
but do not forget that we do not pursue
objec0vity)

Development
Scheme were provided to them with the main
topics and variables that had been nego0ated.
A tape recorder were provided
Water, soda or beer were provided, depending
the space (Faculty, park or bar)
Researchers leave and return when young
no0ed them by mobile
During that 0me the young begin with scheme,
but as 0me progresses the forks are diverse. In
some cases girded the scheme, but in others the
conversa0on took a dierent tack.

What is the outcome?

Recordings of 1.5 to two hours
Conversa0ons among young, looking for
connec0ons and reect on the dierences.
Informa0on on experiences, expecta0ons,
thoughts, desires
Episodes of listening, empathy and support each
other with narra0ves of painful or dicult
situa0ons. Dialogic interview transcends the aim
of obtaining informa0on.
Young created jointly narra0ves about their life
history. A common language.

And arer
Dialogic Analysis
Dialogic Wri0ng

Strengths
The researcher does not interfere or limit the
expression of informants.
The expression of emo0ons, the result of the
encounter between two people with shared
experiences, can be much higher.
The course of the interview is free and not
determined by the interests of researchers.
Are present other languages and other logics,
absolutely dierent that research logic and
prac0ce suppose.

Problems and risks

-One of the informants can dominate the conversa0on to their own
interests or needs

For example, a member poli0cized condi0ons speeches and headed towards poli0cal
speeches, away from their own experience and expression of emo0ons

-There are issues that they do not speak. Although these issues were
rated as important.
For example: Girls have never talked about their experiences of child
homophobia. However, the boys expressed an infant experiences
homophobia in full. This raises research ques0ons. For either of them
if they have suered homophobia and also do not have or have not
suered due to dierences in norma0ve gender system. Both op0ons
involve both a problem and a poten0al analysis.