Workshop on 'Reflexivity in practice'

• Department of Political and Social Sciences

This initiative features a workshop by Audrey Alejandro (LSE) organised by the SPS Department, with the support of CIVICA.

What is reflexivity and what does it take to implement reflexivity in practice? Can the knowledge we produce be emancipatory when our discourses recursively originate in the world we aim to challenge? Despite demands for increased reflexivity, the relative absence of methodological and pedagogical material developed specifically for the implementation of reflexivity contrasts with the abundant literature focusing on other research practices such as research design, data collection or data analysis. As a result, researchers interested in implementing reflexivity in a rigorous manner that goes beyond the mere acknowledgement of one’s situatedness, often find themselves at a loss. This workshop aims to introduce participants to the theoretical and methodological underpinnings of reflexivity and help them understand how to implement reflexivity in practice through the different stages of the research process. Particular attention will be given to language as an entry point to reflexivity and reflexivity about our own use of language – a process referred to as 'linguistic reflexivity'.

Audrey Alejandro is an Associate Professor at the Department of Methodology, London School of Economics and Political Science. She works at the intersection of political science, sociology and international relations. She researches the politics of discourse and knowledge in society and international politics, how we can apprehend their effects, and what it takes to produce discourse and knowledge helping us to create a world consistent with our values.