The School of Social Sciences at the University of Hyderabad hosted Urvashi Butalia, a feminist writer, activist, and the founder and director of Zubaan Books as part of the Golden Jubilee Distinguished Lecture Series. Her lecture titled, “The Researcher and the Researched: The Challenge(s) of Feminist Knowledge Production” delved into the complexities of conducting feminist research. The lecture was delivered on the 2nd of August 2024 at the CV Raman Auditorium, University of Hyderabad, and was chaired by Professor K. Suneetha Rani, Head of the Centre for Women’s Studies. In her welcome address, Prof Suneetha Rani introduced the esteemed speaker to the audience, highlighting Butalia’s invaluable contributions to feminist writing and publishing. The lecture drew enthusiastic participation from students and scholars across diverse disciplines within the university and from various colleges and universities in Hyderabad.
In the lecture, Urvashi Butalia critically explored the intricate challenges and complexities of feminist research. Drawing anecdotes from her research and writing experience of many decades she presented the various complexities researchers face while navigating a research field. She began the lecture by stating her position as an “interloper” between academia and activism particularly feminist activism.
Butalia highlighted the historically unequal power dynamic between researchers and research subjects. Researchers have often been positioned as detached observers generating objective knowledge, while research subjects were relegated to the realm of experience. This hierarchical structure is exacerbated by financial disparities, with researchers holding economic power. The expectation of unpaid participation among research subjects further reinforces this imbalance. The lecture emphasized the prevalent notion that Western knowledge is superior and universally applicable. Conversely, knowledge produced in other regions and by marginalized communities, particularly women, has been undervalued and labeled as subjective or specific. This hierarchical categorization has significantly impacted the recognition and legitimacy of diverse perspectives. However, these distinctions have been shifting over the years and feminist research practices have destabilized these hierarchies in knowledge production.
The speaker described briefly feminist research as intrinsically linked to feminist and women’s movements. It explicitly rejects the notion of neutrality and is also an intervention toward change and transformation. Unlike traditional research, feminist research often employs alternative methods and its tools are evolving and adapting. Feminist researchers do not prioritize data over other forms of knowledge. It emphasizes collaboration and participation and challenges the public/private divide by considering lived experiences as valid subjects of inquiry. In India, the emergence of women’s movements in the mid-1970s catalyzed a shift in academic research towards women’s lives. The subsequent establishment of women’s studies as a discipline brought forth a major change in research areas and methodologies.
The first anecdote Butalia talked about was her experience while interviewing and writing about her friend Mona Ahmed, a hijra woman she met during her research on the Partition. Through this anecdote, she foregrounds the complexities and challenges that arise while writing/researching lives. This experience highlighted the complex nature of research, challenging the traditional view of the research subject as a passive informant who cannot decide the research writing process. Butalia emphasized the importance of listening in feminist research. A researcher must learn to listen differently, listen not only to the spoken words but also to the hesitations, body language, the silences, etc. Researchers must learn to listen to those who have historically been marginalized and silenced. Butalia says that “the entanglement of the personal in the research lies at the heart of feminist research”. A researcher cannot dismiss personal experiences, there is knowledge in the everyday anecdotes of discrimination and violence. The ethical implications of a cis woman researching and writing about a trans woman were highlighted, emphasizing the importance of critical reflection on these issues within the research process.
The second anecdote dealt with the issues of consent and partnership while researching marginalized communities. Butalia talked about a certain instance where the researched community did not want to be treated merely as case studies and data and demanded to be consulted in the research process. The research participants wanted to become partners in knowledge production. The speaker raised crucial questions about the nature of research partnership and trust building between the researcher and the researched.
The final anecdote revolved around the publication of a compilation called Playing with Fire (Zubaan, 2009) which was a translation of lived experiences of nine different women. The whole project exemplified a collaborative approach in research where the researched women were given the power to decide what would be written. In the whole process of sharing, the knowledge created was new and subversive. This approach led to a nuanced understanding of caste and how it functions on the ground. The speaker posed an important question: can collaborative research and knowledge production be imagined across borders of caste, class, region and geography?
The lecture concluded with a lively Q & A session involving the students, faculty, and other attendees. Following a formal vote of thanks delivered by Debomita Mukherjee, doctoral student at the Centre for Women’s Studies, the event concluded with high tea and informal discussions.
- Contributed by Alice Abraham, Doctoral Student, Centre for Women’s Studies.