Reflexivity and Researching the Military

Abstract

While the concept of reflexivity has been used extensively across the social sciences over many decades, its impact on studies of the military has remained marginal. Reasons for this go to the heart of the dominant epistemological foundations of a military sociology that implicitly assumes that researcher bias can be neutralized by adhering to the traditional positivist model of sociological research. In this article, the authors argue that there is much to be gained by reflecting on the process of doing research, and “writing in” the authors where appropriate, particularly within the context of research on the military. In appraising the quality of research projects, it is helpful to know more about the motivations of researchers (especially given that many are veterans), theways in which access to the military sample were negotiated, and the criteria placed upon researchers and their projects by military funders. Overall, the authors argue that the paucity of material focused on the process of researching the military represents a significant limitation that is in need of further consideration.