How can multiracial feminism inform social science survey research? What would it mean, in practical terms, to bring an "intersectional" approach to survey design and statistical analysis? How might such an approach change our understanding of the social world? Feminist Measures in Survey Research offers a new approach for bridging feminist theory and quantitative social science research. Catherine E. Harnois demonstrates how a multiracial feminist perspective can inform virtually every aspect of the research process, from survey design and statistical modeling to the frameworks used to interpret the results. Harnois argues for an interdisciplinary approach to social research, rooted in multiracial feminist theorizing. Such an approach, she suggests, enables a critical reexamination of the assumptions embedded in everyday research practices. It also provides a new and important framework for critiquing and producing quality survey research. Catherine E. Harnois was honored with the 2012 Distinguished Article Award from the American Sociological Association. This award recognizes scholars who have made a distinguished and significant contribution to the development of the integrative field of race, gender, and class through the publication of a journal article or book chapter on the "cutting edge" of sociological inquiry.
Catherine E. Harnois is Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology at Wake Forest University, where she teaches courses on social inequality and research methods. She is the author of two books: Feminist Measures in Survey Research (SAGE 2013) and Analyzing Inequalities: An Introduction to Race, Class, Gender & Sexuality Using the US General Social Survey (SAGE, 2018). Her current research uses an intersectional framework to investigate issues of political consciousness, identity, and discrimination. Her methodological work on the intersection of gender and racial discrimination received the 2012 Outstanding Contribution to Scholarship Article Award from the American Sociological Association Section on Race, Gender, and Class. Her research has appeared in the journals Gender & Society, Ethnic and Racial Studies, Social Psychology Quarterly, Journal of Health and Social Behavior, Social Science & Medicine, and other scholarly outlets.
Chapter 1. Feminist Theory and Survey Research Chapter 2. (Inter)disciplinarity in Feminist Survey Research Chapter 3. Analytic Interventions of Multiracial Feminism: Measuring and Modeling Sexism with an Intersectional Approach Chapter 4. Further Re-modeling with Multiracial Feminism: Highlighting interactive effects of race, ethnicity, age, and gender Chapter 5. Complicating the General with Narratives of the Particular: Analyzing "feminism" with a multiracial feminist approach Chapter 6. Multiracial Feminism and Survey Research: Re-thinking the "Impossibility of Coherence"
"The book speaks to readers in a number of social science disciplines. It will improve standard methods of survey research and provide feminist scholars with useful tools." -- Alyssa N. Zucker "This book makes important contributions to the study of intersectionality in the social sciences. It provides interesting and clear critiques of current survey instruments and analysis and demonstrates how alternative models might elucidate our understandings of the world." -- Celeste Montoya "The author has created a book that is comprehensive in its scope, widely accessible and on the forefront of feminist research. Multiracial feminist theory has remained on the margins for too many, for far too long. This book brings multiracial feminism center stage by making it our starting point for doing research." -- Natalie J. Bourdon "This book addresses a real gap in feminist methods literature." -- Jo Reger
