Postmodern feminist emancipatory research: is it an oxymoron?

Abstract

Many nurse-researchers who use feminist methods believe that postmodernism undermines the scientific and emancipatory aspirations of our discipline and they are therefore wary of postmodern theories. One of the main threats of postmodernism is the critique of humanism because humanism forms the ethical foundation for both nursing and feminism. These critiques expose the dark underside of humanistic ideals and show how, paradoxically, humanism has functioned to oppress people. The arguments presented here help emancipatory researchers to defend their practices, both in relation to research participants and in the ways in which the subjects is theorized. The conclusion is that postmodernism can be compatible with politically motivated, humanistically-based inquiry.