Aya Halliday and Neslihan Sriram-Uzundal invited participants to reflect on their own research identities and to consider how embracing positionality can serve as both a methodological and a reflective practice.
On November 26, a roundtable discussion titled There’s No View from Nowhere: Embracing Positionality in Research, hosted by the CSLP, brought PhD and MA students for an in-depth conversation about the role of positionality in the research process. Led by Aya Halliday and Neslihan Sriram-Uzundal, the event examined different aspects, ranging from foundational questions on positionality to challenges and critiques, ethics and power dynamics, practical application, and future implications.
The facilitators guided the discussion with a series of probing questions, ranging from foundational prompts such as “What is your personal definition of a positionality statement?” to broader ethical considerations, including whether such statements can help address issues of privilege, bias, or oppression in research. They also invited participants to reflect on practice-oriented questions, such as “What personal strategies have you found effective for integrating your positionality into your research without overshadowing your findings?” and forward-looking questions, such as “How might the concept of positionality evolve in the future of research methodology?”
Joining the conversation were graduate student discussants Mariana Alarcón Rodriguez, Rita Andraous, Karen Andrews, Anna Patterson, and Robin Long, who contributed insights from their respective fields, encouraging a thought-provoking exchange.
Submitted by Neslihan Sriram-Uzundal