In the lion's den: Doing feminist research in academia

Abstract

This chapter discusses the practices and consequences of doing feminist research in academia. Combining feminist organization theories and critical management studies, we reflect on our experiences doing research in and about inequality regimes in academia. We start with reflections on the impact of feminist academic knowledge on changing academic institutions, discussing the baby steps of knowledge advancement. Second, we interrogate the relationality of feminist research zooming in on feminist researchers who study the inequality regime of their habitat. How do they navigate the resistance they inevitably encounter in their efforts for change? We highlight navigating this resistance as a methodological issue for scholars whose research is intertwined with activism. What challenges come with engaged feminist scholarship in this context? The chapter ends with reflections on feminist methodologies of working collaboratively and strategically to further the important project of changing academia.