I just had dust in my eye...

I recently attended a presentation by a researcher who works with young people who face significant life challenges as well as a lot of social stigma. For hers and these people's privacy I won't elaborate further except to say they are ordinary people with some very heart moving stories. This researcher is an extraordinary person; she has one of the largest hearts I know (the new Grinch has nothing on her!) It was hard for her at points to share these stories and not be moved by her recollections. She is not alone. I recently spoke with another qualitative researcher who also wrestled with very human responses to the stories that were shared with her. Retelling the stories brings those emotions back but also brings those same stories to life. These are real people not simply research subjects.

The "Rules":

1. Displays of emotion have no place in academia,
   
2. Scholarly presentations are to be objective and detached.,
   
3. Showing emotion in an academic presentation makes people uncomfortable.

It is true that excessive emotion may render a person unable to present. But no emotion? Is this interdiction merely a holdover in the academy from quantitative research methods, where the researcher is not personally engaged but maintains an "objective" view of the "experiment?" May it have something to do with the historical demographics of the academy as anglicized and male dominated? Our society still perpetuates the cultural myth that "real men don't cry."

As qualitative researchers explore deeper into the life experiences of real people, it will become harder to avoid the reality of human emotion. These are real people with engaging lives. Real researchers will be moved by them. Maybe it is time to change the academy not the researchers. ;-)

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