Feminist community research is a collaborative, policy-oriented
methodology that holds the promise of empowering women and building a
more just society. But in the absence of critical analysis and the
responsible use of power, this approach can lead to naive or even
harmful practices.

Grounded as they are in fieldwork, these interdisciplinary case
studies acknowledge the real methodological and ethical issues that
researchers can encounter. The authors discuss the strategies --
successful and unsuccessful -- that they have employed to overcome
these problems. The volume addresses the challenges of negotiating
contested research relationships in local and global contexts and in
relation to concerns such as health care, immigration, and poverty. The
authors' collective experiences working with diverse groups --
including formerly incarcerated women, Aboriginal women, and
poverty-reduction practitioners in Vietnam -- reveal that truly
equitable research projects require that we question core concepts and
address crucial issues such as the promises and limits of reflexivity;
the politics of place, time, and resources; ethical dilemmas and
emotional responses; and the way issues of social justice, policy, and
social change are embedded in research.

By sharing lessons learned, this volume offers real strategies for
researchers and government agencies to build better bridges between
research institutions and communities.

Gillian Creese is a professor of sociology and the
director of the Centre for Women's and Gender Studies at the
University of British Columbia. Wendy Frisby is a
professor in the School of Human Kinetics and past chair of the
Women's and Gender Studies program at the University of
British Columbia.