Everything we know is shaped by where we stand in the world.
Field Notes (from the inside)
Our bodies. Our histories. Our relationships. Our access to power, safety, time, and resources. None of us observe life from some neutral platform floating above it all.
Feminist scholar Donna Haraway called this situated knowledge in the late 1980s, arguing that there is no “view from nowhere.” What we call objectivity is always shaped by perspective, even when that perspective has learned to pass itself off as universal.
It was a radical position at a time when science and technology were widely imagined as neutral, detached, and value-free. Haraway insisted that knowledge is always produced from somewhere, and I find myself returning to her work now, as I begin researching communities I belong to. Because if all knowledge is situated, then the question is not whether I am involved, but how I account for that involvement.
In psychology, especially qualitative research, we don’t pretend the researcher is some neutral observer hovering above the data. We know we’re in it. We’re asking the questions. We’re building the interpretations. We’re deciding what feels meaningful.
Reflexivity is basically the practice of turning the lens back on ourselves and asking: why did that comment stand out to me? Why does this theme feel compelling? What am I bringing into this conversation because of my own experiences? Where might I be filling in gaps because something feels familiar?
It’s not about beating yourself up for having perspective or trying to be perfectly unbiased. It’s about holding things up, turning them around, and really inspecting them. And it becomes especially important when you’re researching spaces you actually belong to. When the language and norms are shared, or when someone describes something and part of you thinks, yes, of course, that’s just how it is.
One thing that’s been surprisingly useful as I’ve been thinking about this is going back to my reflexive notes from the last time I did insider research during my master’s degree. Reading them has been a reminder of how often those “of course” moments showed up in my thinking, and how much richer the analysis became when I slowed down and questioned them.
There’s one quote where a participant, in relation to Imposter Phenomeon, described online spaces as “smoke and mirrors.” I remember immediately understanding what she meant, and even noting that reaction in the margins of the transcript as a reflexive moment.
At the time, that instant recognition probably felt like insider insight. But this is exactly where reflexivity asks you to pause when something feels obvious.
“Smoke and mirrors” wasn’t just about polished social media. It was about fear of exposure, self-censorship, blurred audiences, and deciding what could be shared safely. It was about navigating visibility in spaces that reward performance but don’t always show the full reality.
It also pushed me to think about my own visibility. If everything online can feel like illusion, where does that leave the way I show up? Am I part of the same performance too?
My familiarity with the communities I’m researching can be a gift. It helps me hear nuance, understand context, read between the lines. But it can also smooth over things that deserve closer attention.
For me, it’s less about trying to eliminate involvement and more about being honest about it. If all knowledge is situated, as Haraway suggests, then the work isn’t to pretend I’m standing outside these communities.
It’s to be clear about where I’m standing while I study them.
Hi, I’m Leila, and I’m currently doing a PhD exploring the experiences of women who are independent workers, including entrepreneurs, freelancers, and the self-employed, who use online communities as part of their working lives.
My first study is collecting data through a series of interviews with women and community hosts across two online communities where I’m also a paying member. These are spaces I didn’t join as a researcher, but as someone looking for connection, support, and belonging in independent work.
Alongside the research itself, I’ll be keeping a series of blog posts as part of my reflexivity practice. These posts will sit under a little series I’m calling Field Notes (from the Inside) reflections on researching communities I belong to, in real time.
References & further reading
Donna Haraway (1988).
Situated Knowledges: The Science Question in Feminism and the Privilege of Partial Perspective. Feminist Studies, 14(3), 575–599.
(The essay where Haraway introduces the idea
of situated knowledge and challenges the myth of neutral objectivity.)
Braun, V. & Clarke, V. (2019).
Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 11(4), 589–597.
(A clear, accessible explanation of reflexivity as an ongoing analytic practice.)
Braun, V. & Clarke, V. (2021).
Thematic Analysis: A Practical Guide. Sage.
(The modern go-to text for reflexive qualitative research.)
This is so interesting, those moments of connection and understanding are always great, but I have never considered why!