Hey

Goood questions tasha, I look forward to discussing them in class
I think the reflexivity versus the scientific realism and objectivity that govern conservative ways of understanding are intrinsic to how people think of research- as some divine truth waiting to be discovered. The epistemological shift come from the idea that knowledge is, in fact, situated among and between different people, experiences and situations and in order to understand authentic reality ( I think the non –sugar coated version) it is important for us to use not just acknowledge our own biases but represent research as something we are activity participating in and influenced. This is particularly important in the social sciences where gender, age, class etc. are inextricable from the research conducted work to influence the understandings gained for more than we see.
I think these types of understanding are antithetical to what we are normally used to because the natural sciences, from which most positivist scientific research is derived and from which most academically situated research is conducted, proposes to uncover truths and universal understandings when in fact it limits itself by not considering the different ways people represent themselves, communicate with others and act in relation to situations around them.
This book offers a great perspective on the types of research we should be doing =)