SW856-201: The Science of Social Work
Instructions
As social work practitioners and scholars you have, and will, work with a variety of people from a variety of social contexts. It is imperative that we develop a sense of awareness and consciousness of who we are to proactively address biases and/or assumptions that could impact our practice and the people we serve.
From the lens of research, positionality is one’s stance in “relation to the social and political context of the study- – the community, the organization or the participant” (Coghlan & Brydon-Miller, 2014). As a reflexive exercise, understanding one’s positionality entails exploring the social and political context that creates your identity in terms of race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, ability status, and other characteristics. The purpose of creating a positionality statement is to enhance your understanding of your own biases and assumptions which will aid in enhancing your transparency as a researcher.
For this assignment, you will briefly describe an area of practice/social problem of interest to you. Then discuss your own positionality in relation to this practice/social problem.
Your positionality statement is a reflexive writing exercise in which you will examine your own beliefs, judgments, and practices in relation to your area of research.
Explore the following questions:
- What personal characteristics that define your social position?
- What characteristics orient you in society?
- How do you define yourself?
How has your awareness of these characteristics and their impact changed over time?
How are your personal characteristics sources of power and privilege? - How are your personal characteristics sources of
marginalization and disadvantage?
What does the recognition of the power that you have mean as a social work practitioner? - How do your characteristics confer power, privilege, or marginalization?
- How do your characteristics intersect with each other to create your unique viewpoint?
- How do your characteristics intersect with each other to create your unique viewpoint?
- How to you protect from reinforcing the social context from which you come in your work?
Synthesize this information in a summary of your own positionality in relation to the practice/social problem you selected
How:
Your positionality paper should be written in a three to five-page paper.
For additional sources regarding positionality statements see the links below:
Know Thyself: How to Write a Reflexivity.
Statement(Links to an external site.)
Breaking Free from the Web of Violence: Asset-Based Approaches for Boys and men of Color.
See page 39 for an example of a positionality statement/statement of reflexivity include in a researcher’s publication.