Men in context: “Privilege” and reflexivity in academia

Journal article, 2014

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to elaborate on self-reflexivity and, in particular, explore the notion of context in relation to men’s reflexivity in academic work. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is a commentary on an earlier paper published in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion addressing the issue of reflexivity in organization studies and commented on by three different scholars. Findings – Relating specifically to men doing gender studies research, the authors argue that they are always men in context, and their “privilege” (and reflections on it) needs to be accounted for in situ; in relation to the assumptions, relations, and practices at hand, rather to some abstract and vague “privileges” contained in, and carried by, men as a general category. Originality/value – The paper seeks to advance a novel understanding of reflexivity not so much anchored in the willful capacity to reflect on scholarly work but as engagement with experiences of exclusion or unexpected outcomes in fieldwork and in interacting with other researchers.