Moments of Discomfort: Rethinking Reflexivity and Researcher Subjectivities Through Affect and Poststructuralism

Melissa Carr

Gender, Work and Organization, 2026, vol. 33, issue 2, 483-494

Abstract: This article examines how discomfort, as an embodied and affective experience, can be theorized through poststructuralist reflexivity to deepen feminist understandings of researcher subjectivity and power in qualitative research. I present two vignettes as illustrative of moments of discomfort conducting research “in the field” which I argue create a sense of unease when shifting subjectivities and regimes of power become more visible. I draw on affective methodologies and poststructural analysis to present a methodology of discomfort. The article offers two contributions: first, it introduces a dual‐framework approach that combines affective analysis with poststructural discourse to explore researcher subjectivity and power dynamics. Second, the article provides empirical insights into how moments of discomfort can serve as critical junctures for reflexive inquiry, enriching feminist methodologies in qualitative research.

Date: 2026
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