UBC Press Demarginalizing Voices book Paperback 368 pages

Numerous books explore the “how to” of qualitative research, but few discuss what it means to actually engage in it, particularly when researchers hope to shed light on the experiences of marginalized populations. The time has come to discuss both the constraints that universities and institutions place on scholars when they adopt alternative research methods with an activist stance and the emotional costs that can accompany this type of engagement.In Demarginalizing Voices, scholars share personal stories about their research with Aboriginal peoples, sex workers, the dead and the dying, women and men in prison, women and men released from prison, and the homeless and the hospitalized. In the process, they answer questions of relevance to anyone engaged in qualitative research:What can scholars expect when their research requires them to establish human connections and relationships with their subjects?What role do ethics review boards and institutions play when researchers explore new, often less accepted methods?How do researchers reconcile academic life and its expectations with their activism?These powerful accounts from the cutting-edge of qualitative research not only create a space in academia that centres marginalized voices, they open up the field to new debates and discussion.