Researcher Positioning: Muslim "Otherness" and Beyond

This article focuses on the complex and multilayered process of researcher positioning,specifically in relation to the politically sensitive study of marginalised and "othered"groups such as Muslims living in Denmark. We discuss the impact of different ethnic,religious, and racial backgrounds, of membership in a minoritised1 or majoritisedgroup, and the influence of different theoretical and methodological outlooks on ourcommon goal of trying to transcend existing othering and objectifying representationsof Muslims in Western societies. This process sometimes entails a direct political andpersonal involvement by the researcher, which challenges traditional perspectives onresearch and researcher positioning. A key point in this regard is the importance ofconstant awareness of and reflection on the multiple ways in which one's positioningas a researcher influences the research process. Studying the other calls for closereflections on one's own position, theoretically, personally, and politically, taking intoaccount one's complicity in either overcoming or reproducing processes of otheringand marginalisation.