Lisa Loutzenheiser, Curriculum Studies, UBC: “The nexus of youth studies and gender studies: Questions of methodology”
Youth Research Symposium
April 2, 2008
9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. | St. John’s College Social Lounge
Organized by the Centre for Culture, Identity and Education and sponsored by the University of Cambridge, UK
Abstract
This paper explores the theoretical and methodological issues surrounding researching with, for, and about queer youth in ways that trouble youth identities that are represented in the wider social contexts. The primary lens of the paper is an examination of (hetero)normativity and the possibilities of queering qualitative methodologies. Opening with a brief contextualization of the ethical conundrums inherent in a qualitative research methodology, I am particularly interested in methodologies that emanate from epistemologies that attempt both to be ethical, and to acknowledge the very impossibility of such a move. The paper outlines possibilities for data collection, analysis, and representation that are particularly important when working with queer youth. Finally, there will be an attempt to engage in the difficult conversation about who ought be engaging in research with, by, and for queer youth.