title: Theoretical, methodological, and ethical challenges to the study of immigrants: perils and possibilities.
abstract: Research on immigrant communities has often been reductionist, stereotypical, and simplistic, and even the most well-intentioned researchers are susceptible to using cultural deficit models. This chapter critically evaluates some of the dominant tensions and problem areas with respect to researching immigrant communities. Specifically, we analyze three primary challenges that researchers encounter: the heterogeneity of immigrant lives, adequate representations of immigrant communities, and researcher privilege. In addition to identifying these unique theoretical, methodological, and ethical concerns, we draw from critical theory, feminist scholarship, and cultural psychology to provide an interdisciplinary solution. For researchers investigating immigrant communities, we advocate the following: (a) grounding of intersectional frameworks; (b) reliance on a risk and resilience framework; (c) phenomenological understanding of immigrants' everyday lives; (d) inclusion of immigrant participants' voices; and (e) cultivation of negative capability. Finally, we briefly review selected studies that address three recurring challenges that researchers face and heed our five recommendations.
authors.affiliation: Associate professor, Departments of Women's Studies and Psychology, University of Michigan, USA. ramawasi@umich.edu.
authors.forename: Ramaswami
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mahalingam
authors.forename: Verónica Caridad
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Rabelo
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000941:ethics / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D035844:Researcher-Subject Relations / Q000941:ethics / Q000523:psychology*