Mirror, Mirror in the Field: Reflexivity in Qualitative Research… It’s Not all About You!
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Journal article with impact factor
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Publication Year
2026
Journal
Group & Organization Management
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Abstract
This paper reconceptualizes reflexivity in qualitative research by arguing that it should extend beyond researchers’ self-examination to include how participants perceive them. Drawing on the author’s boundary-crossing interview research as a visibly marginalized scholar in Europe, the paper introduces participant-centric reflexivity to capture how participants’ constructions of researchers shape access, disclosure, interpretation, and knowledge production. It critiques overly self-focused reflexive practice and develops four interpretive movements across the research cycle: before fieldwork, during fieldwork, in writing, and beyond the project. The paper shows how attending to participants’ perceptions can strengthen transparency, rigor, and relational awareness in qualitative scholarship more broadly.
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Keywords
Qualitative Methods and Analysis, Reflexivity, Interviews