Queer Phenomenology

Abstract

Phenomenology is an often-used form of inquiry within education and the social sciences more broadly. As scholars have employed its methods to answer complex social and political questions, new modes of inquiry have emerged. One such mode is queer phenomenology, which has sought to engage queer theory with phenomenology for an enriched form of inquiry. In this chapter, queer phenomenology will be explored, including its origins in the 21st century and the kinds of questions it can answer. A discussion of queer phenomenology's relation to the field of critical phenomenology is also included. Current research in both the social sciences and education that use this method is covered in depth.

Call for Papers for a Special Issue on Queer Approaches to Mixed Methods Research

“…Queer theories have been applied to research methods and methodology (e.g., Browne & Nash, 2010;Compton et al, 2018;Ghaziani & Brim, 2019) including queer qualitative research (e.g., Goldberg et al, 2009;Squire et al, 2019;Tanaka & Cruz, 1998;Weeks, 2022;Wozolek, 2019), queer arts-based research (e.g., Zepeda, 2014), and queer quantitative research (e.g., Garvey, 2019;Grzanka, 2016). At the philosophical level, queer theories can be used to influence how researchers construct research practices, see research as part of a knowledge production or representation process, and envision their own role in the research process (Ghaziani & Brim, 2019;Weeks, 2022). For example, queer theory can be used to support qualitative researchers' focus on participant selection in studying the daily experiences of LGBTQ+ adults and youth (Ahmed, 2006;Wozolek, 2019).…”

Empathy and shame through critical phenomenology: The limits and possibilities of affective work and the case of COVID‐19 vaccinations

“… 5 By critical phenomenology, I mean a methodology that ‘deals with not just the experience of reality itself, but the social, political, and cultural milieu in which these experiences occur’. 6 That is, I seek to understand shame and empathy not just as experiences in‐and‐of‐themselves, but as shaped by and shaping a broader social, political, and cultural milieu. The first half of this article will explore the phenomenologies of shame and empathy, and the second half will explore that theory through the case of COVID‐19 vaccinations.…”

“…To begin answering these questions, I'm turning to Luna Dolezal and Sarah Ahmed's critical phenomenologies in their respective books The Body and Shame (2016) 3 and Strange Encounter (2000), 4 as well as Ahmed's affect theory in The Cultural Politics of Emotion (2004) 5 . By critical phenomenology, I mean a methodology that ‘deals with not just the experience of reality itself, but the social, political, and cultural milieu in which these experiences occur’ 6 . That is, I seek to understand shame and empathy not just as experiences in‐and‐of‐themselves, but as shaped by and shaping a broader social, political, and cultural milieu.…”