Blurry Lines: Reflections on “Insider” Research

Abstract

Insider research poses a range of benefits and challenges for researchers and the communities being researched. It is commonly advocated for disability research but there is limited work exploring disabled researchers’ experiences. Influenced by autoethnography and through a process of asynchronous structured conversations, we reflected on our experiences as two blind researchers. Through our collective reflective process and analysis, we created three main themes: insider research is complex and subjective, there is judgment about the “right” thing to do, and insider research requires “different” work. We argue that insiderness is more than sharing characteristics: it is a situated, fluctuating, and “felt” experience. The complexities, judgments, and emotional labor associated with insider research can challenge researchers in potentially very personal and unexpected ways. We propose that further investigation is required about how researchers can best prepare for, engage ethically throughout, and be supported through the insider research process.