Tutorial 1: An Exploration of Arts-Based Research with Yoriko Gillard

Self Submission, Spring 2021

I never thought I would say it, but I’m excited about research! I originally went into this entire tutorial process hoping to remove myself as far as possible from the world of research and to focus on the creative aspects and possibilities that the INTS grad project could offer. Instead, I have found myself truly excited about the possibilities of arts-based research.

At the onset of this tutorial, my main goals were to expose myself to various forms of arts-based research to help guide the planning and practical conception of my grad project. Working on an annotated bibliography and literature review really helped me to understand the world of arts-based research a little better. I came to learn that arts-based research isn’t really about the art at all. Instead, it is an opportunity for a researcher to explore phenomena and questions that are difficult to quantify or to even qualify with words and language.

I found myself particularly drawn to research papers that showed a significant shift within the researcher themself. I think this affinity to personal discovery or more auto ethnographic exploration is because it is a big part of what I hope to explore in my own graduation project. Though my main topic of exploration will be queer/trans folks who have been pregnant and given birth, I am also deeply interested in my own experiences as a queer birth worker. I’m hoping that exploring the intersections of my own birth work as a queer person and the experiences of queer/trans parents will reveal how healthcare professionals and non-medical birth workers (like doulas) can do a better job at providing supportive, inclusive, and safe care. 

By exploring a multitude of different arts-based research methods, I have been able to narrow down my own list of possible methods to use in my grad project. So far, it appears as though some combination of long-form interview with photography, collage, and/or self reflection (for participants and researcher) will help guide my exploration. Birth is a deeply intimate experience and can often be the source of deep trauma, especially for queer/trans folks. With this in mind, I believe that it will be integral to supplement any long-form interviews with a creative outlet for the participants, especially, to express their feelings about specific aspects of their birth experience without having to rely on language. 

Only time can affirm how my graduation project will truly take shape. I’m very pleased with the progress and exploration that I’ve made in this semester and look forward to continuing to apply what I’ve learned and combining my new knowledge with my two other tutorials. I’m particularly glad that I was able to explore arts-based research in my first tutorial, because knowing the general methodologies and shape of my grad project research will directly inform how I learn in my next two tutorials. 

Onwards and upwards from here.

Tutorial 2: An anthropological inquiry of published stories and LGBTQ-related research with Maureen Bracewell

Self Submission, Summer 2021

As I continue to hold great excitement for the world of research, I have also come to the realisation that I am going to have to significantly simplify my graduation research project. This has been a surprising realisation as my tutorial focussed on getting a clearer understanding of what publicised stories of trans and nonbinary pregnancies exist already and how reflecting on those stories can help shape a solid interview script to be used in my grad project. Relatedly, my annotated bibliography was supposed to be a general exploration of the academic literature that exists regarding LGBTQ procreation and reproductive health in general. Instead, finding and reading various studies and papers for my annotated bibliography revealed that I truly need to simplify my vision for my grad project into something that is attainable and feasible for a single student in one semester.

The media reviews I composed were initially designed to help me shape an interview script. I wanted to look at existing publicised stories of trans and nonbinary pregnancies and use individual stories to gather ideas and themes that could help ensure a well rounded and grounded interview for participants while being sensitive to intersections and possible areas of trauma or difficulty. Lack of diversity in general became a very common theme. Though I focused on 2 trans men and 2 nonbinary individuals, my search for appropriate and researchable people revealed mostly white trans men. Similarly, I was only able to find one BIPOC individual to research. This lack of easily available diversity in possible participants is something that I am very aware of. As I attempt to narrow the scope of my project, I may have to be dependant on who is available and willing to participate. If that person/people end(s) up being white and trans, it will be important for me to note (at the very least) that the experiences being explored are shaped by the privileges imbedded in their identity(s) and that that reality will effect any conclusions or applications that I am able to arrive at.

Two of the resources I cited in my annotated bibliography based their papers on one case/individual/family. Though I was initially hoping for a broader application of my interview script, I have come to realise that a more feasible option would be to work closely with just one or two individuals. Especially as I hope to use art mediums as a part of the interview process, I may be able to gather rich information by doing a more in depth study of one person/pregnancy/postpartum period. I haven’t yet clarified what that will look like, but these articles have revealed that it is possible to create robust academic work that is much more narrow that I had initially understood. 

Though this tutorial has forced me to shift my own understanding of my future grad project in quite a significant way, I am very pleased with the progress made this term. The process of greatly expanding my research scope by coming up with questions through my media reviews followed by the process of narrowing that same scope into a realistic and feasible project have really helped me to understand the core themes that I hope to address. Diversity and intersectionality, depth of experience, and hopefully applicability are some of those themes. Only time will tell how this project actually takes shape.

Tutorial 3: An exploration of transgender and nonbinary related health care literature through a gender studies lens with Ki Wright

Self Submission, Fall 2021

As my third and final tutorial approaches an end and my extended graduation project approaches quickly, I am in awe of where I have ended up. Moving from one tutorial to the next, I have been pleasantly surprised at how my research (and academic) focus has streamlined and come into a greater clarity than I ever thought possible at the beginning of the process.

One aspect of this tutorial that I am particularly grateful for is a wider and expansive imagination for a future in academia which has resulted from mentoring sessions and conversations with my tutorial supervisor. Prior to this tutorial, I had thought little about pursuing graduate and post graduate studies; however, I have found that as I have worked to clarify the shape and pragmatic details of my graduation project, a desire to pursue further research-related studies has surfaced. Though this realisation is only adjacently connected to the work I’ve done in this tutorial, it will have significant impact on my graduation project next year. I have come to realise that my final graduation research paper could focus on various outcomes or calls to action depending on which system/field I hope to pursue (for example my conclusions could focus more on education, policy, or systems, depending). 

My book reports, and in particular, my annotated bibliography have helped clarify that in my graduation project and beyond, I would like my research focus to remain in the realm of trans and nonbinary studies. Working on my third annotated bibliography of the year (having done one for each of my tutorials), I have discovered that there are many holes in the academic literature related to trans and nonbinary studies; the field is quickly expanding and needs continued and expansive research to be done. The sources chosen for my annotated bibliography will be sufficient references for my graduation project research paper—many of the studies articulate and reflect the themes that I have already begun to uncover regarding trans and nonbinary pregnancy and childbirth experiences. I am hopeful that my research will add to the literature which states that improved quality of care and health outcomes for trans and gender expansive people relies on increased education and awareness which can be effected on individual, structural, and systemic levels.

With the immense shift in expectations that came with my second tutorial, I am happy to be coming out of my final tutorial with a greater level of clarity. This tutorial has illuminated the more pragmatic and structural needs of my graduation project which has, in turn, led to a clear timeline and to-do list for my extended graduation project. In the new year, I will be entering my graduation project with clear ethics board needs, a defined pathway for writing and creating my long form interview and research participant posters, and a specific criteria for future participants. Overall, with the completion of this tutorial, I feel well equipped to step into the bulk of my graduation project and am looking forward to see where it leads.