story by Claire Miller
Jennifer Esposito, chair of the College of Education & Human Development’s Department of Educational Policy Studies, is the co-recipient of the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry’s (ICQI) 2021 Qualitative Book Award.
This award, which will be presented at the congress’s annual meeting in May, is given to researchers whose books “make a major contribution to the study and practice of qualitative approaches through success in experimenting with new or traditional writing forms, inclusion of critical reflections on the writing and research process, contributions to living meaningful lives and insights into creating a socially-just world,” according to ICQI’s website.
Esposito will receive the award for her book entitled, “Intersectional Analysis as a Method to Analyze Popular Culture: Clarity in the Matrix,” which she wrote with CEHD alumnus Erica Edwards (Ph.D. ’17).
“For much of my career, I have been in awe by work produced, sponsored and disseminated by and through ICQI,” Esposito said. “It is an honor to know that the congress has put their stamp of approval on my co-authored book and found it to be deserving of such an award.”
Their book examines several movies, TV shows and other works of popular culture using intersectionality, a theory that describes how race, gender, class and other personal characteristics intersect and inform how people are positioned within systems of domination and privilege.
Through their examinations, Esposito and Edwards demonstrate how researchers can use intersectionality to analyze data, and what can be learned when they apply theories and research methods that center race.
“One of the biggest takeaways is that we can be easily seduced by popular culture that appears to affirm marginalized people yet actually perpetuates systemic oppression,” Esposito said. “As women of color scholars and feminists, we were committed to using methods that allowed us to be embodied, ethical and critical researchers.”
For more information about her book, visit https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/intersectional-analysis-method-analyze-popular-culture-erica-edwards-jennifer-esposito/10.4324/9780429056314.