Writing as Speaking

In this chapter we explore the methodological underpinnings of this book and ask how do we do feminist research which works towards the gender just society we hope for? Here we ground our work in the writings of Hélène Cixous and Sara Ahmed, two different women writing at different times in different places but arguably searching for ways to work within/against the in-between-ness of women’s experiences. Drawing on Cixous’ écriture féminine as a ‘willful’ methodological approach (after Ahmed, Willful subjects. Durham: Duke University Press, 2014) allows us to reconsider what constitutes knowledge, research practice and ultimately power that opens up a space for the reception of feminist academic voices. It makes room for us to consider writing as speaking ‘other than patriarchy’, that it is to speak and write like feminists.