Inventive methods of the intimate insider: possibilities for feminist research

This chapter considers the methodological implications behind a changing higher education environment. The often-routine structures in academic writing—of introduction, body, conclusion; overview, background, data collection, data analysis, results, and implications—pervade and invade our sense of what ‘real’ and ‘rigorous’ academic research should look like. How then, do neoliberal institutional pressures affect academic research practices? In particular, what are the responsibilities of a feminist researcher in this context? This chapter endeavours to disturb the perceived gender neutrality embedded in social science research and focuses on the possibilities of Hélène Cixous’ l’ectriure feminine in conjunction with multiple writing and analytical methods—including anecdote, poetry, visuality, and sound in order to address the challenges and contradictions of the contemporary university