Centering Culture and Gender: A Methodological Reflection on Dual Yarning in Researching African Women Social Entrepreneurs

Introduction: 
In qualitative research with marginalized populations, especially women in African contexts, there is a growing need for methodological approaches that are both contextually appropriate and ethically grounded. This study explores the lived experiences of African women social entrepreneurs in Nigeria and the diaspora, examining how gender, culture, and colonial history shape their social impact journeys. Set within a decolonial feminist framework, the research centers relational accountability, Indigenous knowledge systems, and participant agency.

Goals and Methods:
Framed within social constructionism and guided by Two-Eyed Seeing, the research blends Africana Womanism, Transnational Feminism, and Indigenous methodologies. It employs digital yarning, a culturally respectful conversational process adapted for Zoom and supported by social media, collecting data from 16 women social entrepreneurs. Participants were purposively selected based on their lived experience as Nigerian women (in Nigeria and the diaspora) leading social enterprises. Group and individual yarning sessions created participant-centered spaces for storytelling, guided by social and research topic yarns. Thematic analysis followed Braun and Clarke’s framework, with inductive and deductive coding. Codes were developed using a color-coded system and refined through constant comparison across cases. Reflexivity was practiced through journaling, identity disclosure during interviews, and attention to power dynamics in interpretation.

Results:
Participants shared stories that revealed empowerment and exhaustion in their social entrepreneurship journeys, often citing social problems as key motivators. Themes included male validation as a pathway to legitimacy, cultural negotiation, emotional labor, and navigating identity in colonially influenced environments. The dual format of group and individual yarns enriched collective dialogue and personal reflection, generating thick, layered data. The choice of methodology was key in surfacing these insights.

Conclusions:
This study demonstrates how blending Indigenous and Western epistemologies through digital yarning can decolonize qualitative inquiry while promoting ethical engagement. The methodology affirms participant voices, respects cultural protocols, and re-centers participants as co-constructors of meaning.