Employing Intersectionality as a Data Generation Tool: Suggestions for Qualitative Researchers on Conducting Interviews of Intersectionality Study

Abstract

Intersectionality has been widely explored in terms of methodological approaches, the theoretical framework, the intersectional marginalized identities formation, and interlocking systems’ oppressions. Discussions on how to critically utilize intersectionality as a data generation tool are either overlooked or heavily theoretical. Student researchers and emerging scholars working on intersectionality studies still struggle with how to critically employ and empirically practice it to generate data from interviews. The purpose of this paper is to provide insights regarding how to conduct qualitative interviews by using intersectionality as a data generation tool. To guide researchers to critically explore how to effectively conduct interviews, research of intersectionality is used as a case to discuss the various facets of interviews, including epistemological positions, researchers’ positionality, participant/listener continuum, complexity, interview methods, interview structure, dynamicity of researchers’ roles, and intersectionality interview itself.