Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Social Work (DSW)
Department
Social Work
Faculty/School
Lyle S. Hallman Faculty of Social Work
First Advisor
Eli Teram
Advisor Role
Thesis Supervisor
Abstract
The acts of writing and reading are exquisitely intertwined at a level that is deeper than the mere writing of a report. These acts are social. Given that our intent is to study social phenomena and re-present them in a text, how can we accomplish this task in a way that does not perpetuate the social scientific discursive tradition that privileges the positionless, invisible, disengaged account? Using a feminist-postmodernist approach to qualitative research, this paper explores the crisis of representation in social science writing. The discursive practices of social scientific knowledge production are explored through the creation of quilts as social texts that are able to communicate across disciplinary boundaries and traditional representational practices. Women and men who were recovering from childhood trauma were asked to represent their life experience in quilt blocks. Participants provided written descriptions of both their quilt blocks and the quilting process. I explore and experiment with the representation of voice(s) through the creation of a reflexive research process and experimental textual style. This paper contributes to the dialogue on the creation of alternative textual styles in social science writing.
Recommended Citation
Ball, Helen Kathryn, "Quilts as social text" (1999). Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive). 223.
https://scholars.wlu.ca/etd/223
Convocation Year
1999
Convocation Season
Spring