Worthwhile work? Childcare, feminist ethics and cooperative research practices

Yarrow Andrew, Lara Corr, Connie Lent, Maeve O'Brien, Jayne Osgood, Margaret Boyd
2016 Gender and Education  
Interdisciplinary research collaborations are often encouraged within higher education while the practicalities of such collaborations are glossed over. This project specifically addresses the praxis of research collaborations, exploring how feminist academics within different countries and disciplines came together to explore their mutual concern about the perceived worth and wellbeing of early childhood practitioners. Engaging in a formal methodological dialogue over eight months, seven
more » ... ics discussed, analysed and dissected their different investments in research methods and intents, with the aim of agreeing to a common methodological framework. Unexpectedly, what emerged was not a product, but a process. We argue that this process offers much to those seeking deep collaboration in and through shared research. Building on a collective research interest, we found ourselves in a process of becoming, germinating the seed of a transnational research cooperative, based on trust and mutual respect, rather than the arid methodological contract originally envisioned.
doi:10.1080/09540253.2016.1247948 fatcat:a4oe75zofbeblftrqtg352mxqe