Positionality

Positionality refers to an individual's social and political position within society, including their identity, background, experiences, and beliefs. These factors can influence the way researchers perceive and interpret data, potentially impacting the research process and outcomes. Positionality is not always negative – a researcher can also be uniquely positioned to study something because they have a deeper lived understanding of it.

Here are some positive and negative examples of ways that positionality could influence research:

• Gender biases among medical professionals may affect the way certain health conditions are studied or treated.
• Economic researchers' ideological beliefs and political affiliations can shape their interpretations of data and policy recommendations.
• Indigenous researchers may offer traditional ecological knowledge that complements non-indigenous approaches, leading to innovative conservation strategies.
• An activist-researcher may use their lived experience of living under a dictatorship when conducting a study on political systems.