‘Knit “n” natter’: A feminist methodological assessment of using creative ‘women’s work’ in focus groups

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Ogden, CA and Harrison, K (2020) ‘Knit “n” natter’: A feminist methodological assessment of using creative ‘women’s work’ in focus groups. Qualitative Research. ISSN 1468-7941

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Abstract

This article outlines the methodological innovations generated in a study of knitting and femininity in Britain. The study utilised ‘knit “n” natter’ focus groups during which female participants were encouraged to knit and talk. The research design encompassed a traditionally undervalued form of domestic ‘women’s work’ to recognise the creative skills of female practitioners. ‘Knit “n” natter’ is a fruitful feminist research method in relation to its capitalisation on female participants’ creativity, its disruption of expertise and its feminisation of academic space. The method challenges patriarchal conventions of knowledge production and gendered power relations in research, but it also reproduces problematic constructions of gender, which are acknowledged. The study contributes to a growing body of work on creative participatory methods and finds that the ‘knit “n” natter’ format has utility beyond investigations of crafting and may be used productively in other contexts where in-depth research with women is desirable.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: This is the accepted version of the following article: Ogden, CA., Harrison, K, ‘Knit “n” natter’: A feminist methodological assessment of using creative ‘women’s work’ in focus groups, Qualitative Research Copyright © 2020 The Author(s) DOI: 10.1177/1468794120945133
Uncontrolled Keywords: 13 Education, 16 Studies in Human Society
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman
Divisions: Humanities and Social Science
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date of acceptance: 7 July 2020
Date of first compliant Open Access: 9 July 2020
Date Deposited: 09 Jul 2020 09:09
Last Modified: 04 Sep 2021 07:02
URI: https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/13273
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