Date: Thu, 21 Nov 1996 20:14:41 +1300
From: ajmac-AT-iconz.co.nz (Brenda & Tony MacCulloch)
Subject: Re: M-PSY: women and mental health


>Brenda,
>        You are saying that only women ought to do research on women. I 
>disagree. Some women who are reactionaries reach conclusions that are 
>deeply conservative in their conclusions. Ditto men. Research should be 
>judged by its content and implications not by the gender of the researcher.
>                                           Henry Heller

Henry,
Thank you for your comments regarding appropriate researchers.

I can appreciate your point of view as I was in a situation of having a
research group that was not only male but also of diverse ethnic/cultural
representation.    My research lecturer had made it clear that women
research women, men researched men, Maori, research Maori, sexual abusive
victims, researched s.a. victims and so on.  

It didn't seem clear to me at the time, I believed that the research was
possible to be value and gender free.  However, through further study I
came to appreciate that it was almost impossible to be value free, that we
all arrive with our own history which to put it simply creates our
perspective on the world and therefore attitudes to ones research.  

Yes, I did continue with my research but with a high level of consultation
with the cultural and ethnic groups involved.  As to my theoretical
approach, after exploration I settled on a Marxist-feminist perspective as
the gender issue addressed both sexes as being able to be oppressed and it
also included the oppression of people (not just women) by institutions.  I
believe this involved process created a safety margin, as it were, for the
people being researched from the power of myself, the researcher and the
institution (university) involved.

>from clean, green New Zealand,
Brenda
ajmac-AT-iconz.co.nz 






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