Dissonant Harmonies: Honoring Black Children’s Complex Personhood, Sociopolitical Knowing and Learning in Qualitative Research

Abstract

In this article, I offer a window into my methodology and stance toward learning from and with Black children. Through extended vignettes or “tracks,” I outline a small slice of how I came to appreciate the complexities of their personhood and critical knowing through an 18-month qualitative study designed to support these ends. More precisely, I reflect on the role of relationship-building, creative arts, and playful participation as resources for co-thinking and learning in my work with Black children. These aspects of the study design helped to make visible the richness of our dialogue around race, justice, and political agency.