Locating the feminist scholar: Relational empowerment and social activism. Qualitative Health Research, 9(6), 773–785. Natalee Popadiuk 412 Author Note Dr. Natalee Popadiuk, Ph.D., is a psychotherapist and educator with fifteen years experience working in

Over the past decade, the rhetoric of “empowerment ” has permeated the health promotion, education, and social welfare literature. Many scholars and professionals, particularly those active in the field of social intervention and community development, have found themselves struggling for location in the emancipatory process. This struggle often is characterized by a profound self-consciousness of privilege and the fear of being perceived as imposing and manipulative. This article explores the tensions inherent in the role of the scholar/activist using illustrations from the author’s experience as principal investigator of the Atlantic Regional Evaluation of the Community Action Program for Children. In so doing, it dis-cusses the importance of a relational approach to empowerment, one characterized by mutu-ality. A commitment to mutuality is seen as a key factor in enhancing the emancipatory capacities of empowerment-based research projects. Over the past decade, those of us whose scholarly activities are closely tied tocommunity activism have had a bit of a struggle to determine where we fit into the rhetoric of “empowerment ” that has permeated the health promotion, edu-cation, and social welfare literature. We are quick to align ourselves with the oppressed against oppressive systems, but it is not entirely clear what it is we ar