This title offers a new approach for bridging feminist theory and quantitative social science research. Catherine E. Harnois demonstrates how a multiracial feminist perspective can inform virtually every aspect of the research process, from survey design and statistical modelling to the frameworks used to interpret the results.

A comprehensive overview of feminist scholarship edited by an internationally recognized and leading figure in the field Companion to Feminist Studies provides a broad overview of the rich history and the multitude of approaches, theories, concepts, and debates central to this dynamic interdisciplinary field. Comprehensive yet accessible, this edited volume offers expert insights from contributors of diverse academic, national, and activist backgrounds—discussing contemporary research and themes while offering international, postcolonial, and intersectional perspectives on social, political, cultural, and economic institutions, social media, social justice movements, everyday discourse, and more. Organized around three different dimensions of Feminist Studies, the Companion begins by exploring ten theoretical frameworks, including feminist epistemologies examining Marxist and Socialist Feminism, the activism of radical feminists, the contributions of Black feminist thought, and interrelated approaches to the fluidity of gender and sexuality. The second section focuses on methodologies and analytical frameworks developed by feminist scholars, including empiricists, economists, ethnographers, cultural analysts, and historiographers. The volume concludes with detailed discussion of the many ways in which pedagogy, political ecology, social justice, globalization, and other areas within Feminist Studies are shaped by feminism in practice. A major contribution to scholarship on both the theoretical foundations and contemporary debates in the field, this volume: Provides an international and interdisciplinary range of the essays of high relevance to scholars, students, and practitioners alike Examines various historical and modern approaches to the analysis of gender and sexual differences Addresses timely issues such as the difference between radical and cultural feminism, the lack of women working as scientists in academia and other research positions, and how activism continues to reformulate feminist approaches Draws insight from the positionality of postcolonial, comparative and transnational feminists Explores how gender, class, and race intersect to shape women’s experiences and inform their perspectives Companion to Feminist Studies is an essential resource for students and faculty in Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Feminist Studies programs, and related disciplines including anthropology, psychology, history, political science, and sociology, and for researchers, scholars, practitioners, policymakers, activists, and advocates working on issues related to gender, sexuality, and social justice.

The topic feminist research has too often been neglected in standard research methods books. The Handbook of Feminist Research represents the establishment of a new tradition or paradigm in viewing how the research process is implemented. Feminist researchers bring unique epistemological and methodological perspectives to the research process. Feminists′ approach to methodology allows for `new′ types of questions about women′s lives and those of `other/ed′ marginalized groups to be addressed within their respective fields of research. This Handbook stresses the interconnections between epistemology, methodology and methods.They are not de-linked from each other but work together in dynamic ways to produce new knowledge and this openness itself is also characteristic of how feminist researchers approach their work. Feminists engage synergistically with all three aspects of the research process - epistemology, methodology and method. Through a synergistic connection between these elements of research: epistemology; methodology; and method, we find that feminist research often shapes new research endeavors that are greater than `the sum of their parts′. In other words, while traditional research employs these components of research, the synergistic engagement of these components in feminist research questions the status quo, aiming to raise our consciousness about how we do research. Looking at the selections provided in this Handbook we are able to look at feminist research, its implementation of synergistic use of epistemology, methodology and method, and the resulting qualities of feminist research in practice.

For the past thirty years there have been vigorous debates about the roles played by gender, sexuality and sexual orientation in research. This collection brings together the debates together, set them into their historical and theoretical context, and deal with the major criticisms and refutations. A particular strength of this collection is that it will available a key sources otherwise scattered and hard to obtain. Volume I discusses three sub-themes, the context in which gender became a matter of concern for researchers, the context in which feminist methods were developed, and the (re)discovery of the methodological work of well-known women such as Jane Addams and Florence Nightingale. Volume II looks at research that has been conducted with explicit awareness of gender. Volume III focuses on the pioneering work of innovative scholars who argued for feminist methods in the years after 1950. It then goes on to investigate research that defended and debated the formulations of feminist methods. Finally, volume IV explicitly relates the themes of Queer Theory, Subaltern Theory and Polyvocality, themes that evolved with feminist methods, to those topics showcased in the other three volumes.

Includes the section "Book notes".