Description
Feminist methodologies place particular weight on participants’ voice, standpoint and agency in conducting research. Particularly when exploring topics such as violence, oppression and vulnerability feminist scholars have argued for the importance of listening and reflexivity. The use of life histories in International Relations particularly aligns with these goals by bringing us to the level of personal experience. However, what obligations come along with this method when researching those directly involved in violence? Reflecting on the process of collecting and then interpreting the life histories of former jihadi fighters the paper will explore what obligations are placed on feminist researchers who endeavour to ‘read’ a life. In particular, it will explore the awkward position of reading patriarchal and oppressive structures into individual’s biographies, in ways that they would reject.
