NCRM International Visitor Exchange Scheme (IVES)

Developing appropriate intersectionality-informed social science research methodologies in ethnicity and health research which incorporate how 'race', gender and class intersect

Dr Jenny Douglas (The Open University) is visiting Professor Lisa Bowleg (George Washington University (2018 – 2019)

Read a summary of the international exchange

There is a growing body of research on the health experiences and health status of black andminority ethnic communities in the UK. However, research on health inequities has tended to examine 'race', class, or gender and has rarely brought these dimensions together. Intersectionality proceeds from the recognition that these demographic dimensions are not isolated, independent variables that are additive but rather that they are interlocking and inter-active. Developed by black feminists, intersectionality theory tries to address the complexity of social life by recognising that individuals simultaneously occupy multiple social locations.

The aim of this proposal is to visit and learn from Dr Lisa Bowleg and Team Represent in the Psychology department at George Washington University, where they have developed social science methodologies to incorporate intersectionality into qualitative and quantitative research. The applicant (Dr Jenny Douglas) will use the knowledge gained to develop an intersectional-informed research proposal on the health and wellbeing of Black Caribbean women in the UK, jointly with Dr Lisa Bowleg. In addition the information found will be widely disseminated to other researchers in the UK who are conducting research in this area. Dr Lisa Bowleg and Dr Jenny Douglas will produce an NCRM Methods Review paper. The topic of the contribution will be about how taking an intersectional approach addresses some of the methodological limitations of existing research on ethnicity and health in the UK.

Main objectives of the project are:

To explore social science methodologies for developing intersectionality-informed research
To develop intersectionality-informed methodological frameworks that can investigate the intersections of race, class and gender into ethnicity and health research
To develop a research proposal based upon a social science, intersectionality –informed research methodology on the health and wellbeing of Black Caribbean women in the UK and Atlantic diaspora with Dr Lisa Bowleg
To produce research outcomes from the International Visitor Exchange Scheme including a peer-reviewed joint article with Dr Lisa Bowleg on developing social science methodologies for intersectionality-informed mixed-methods research