Your Epistemology is [Insert Theorist Here]

So I'll be reading her books this summer.

Here I am back again, thinking about my epistemology. It is essential that I do this as I pursue the path of a qualitative researcher. (Then I think, "why shouldn't I just do quantitative?" Then respond, "Oh yeah, because I'm interested in stories"). I was perusing social media and found a link to a quiz to help one find their epistemological bent. "This is perfect!" I thought. I eagerly clicked on the link then the "take the quiz" button. The result was, well, surprising. And well, not that surprising at all. I already mostly know and have internalized my own epistemology. The trouble I have had with it since deepening my own qualitative research is actually putting this into writing. Moreover, it's been a challenge to align my research interests with my philosophy, and establish congruency between what I believe, how I see the world, and how I choose to do research with a topic.

Sure, the quiz I took was just a funny little quiz, but I think it can represent some indication of something about me. It reminded me of the time I was in the Minneapolis Airport in February, 2014, on a layover from Lansing to Seattle, and decided to take the quiz, "What State Should You Live In?" And yeah, well, it came up Michigan. Not joking here. This really happened.

Take the quiz and find out what YOUR epistemology is!

My result says:
"You are Patricia Hill Collins!
Author of Black Feminist Thought and one of the most influential voices in contemporary standpoint theory, it's not enough for you to question how social systems work, but you want to expose how those systems privilege and oppress various groups. You advocate for the reclaiming of lost voices in knowledge narratives. You not only reject the idea of objective Truth, but you believe that validating subjectivity is essential in the quest for truer knowledge. You believe listening to and validating the experiences of the oppressed leads to a more complete understanding of the world. Power to the people you critical theorist!"