Evaluating epistemological and ethical challenges in narrative inquiry with conservative groups

Conservatism and far-right ideologies are on the rise. Past qualitative studies have engaged individuals with conservative beliefs through interviews, revealing life stories and meanings that draw them toward practices like immigration control and conservative religious beliefs. Narrative inquiry is a valued qualitative methodology predicated on the co-construction of meaningful stories between the informant and researcher. However, its application to conservative populations presents under-theorized epistemological and ethical challenges. The present work employs critical conceptual analysis and the lens of feminist standpoint theory to address the possibility of dissonances between conservative worldviews and narrative inquiry. Feminist standpoint theory argues that knowledge is socially situated, enabling underserved populations to possess novel, experiential knowledge related to power and oppression. A sample of 11 narrative studies with conservative informants from 2014-2024 were collected through systematic review from Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and SocINDEX using predetermined inclusion criteria. The PRISMA checklist was used to confirm the quality of the studies included in the sample. Extracted data for analysis included study details like sample characteristics, researcher positionality, narrative themes, narrator intentionality, and motivating circumstances (e.g., beliefs and life experiences). The extracted data were analyzed through the lens of feminist standpoint theory to evaluate epistemological, ontological, and axiological dimensions of the methodological dilemma. Epistemological concerns include the revealing of “truth” and co-construction of meaning when informants and researchers’ beliefs are in tension. Ontological concerns include assessing the nature of the informant’s narrative and the informant’s intent. Axiological concerns involve reconciling the value of understanding the “other” and researchers’ ethical responsibility. The findings demonstrate how conservative populations may engage “ideological storytelling,” or narratives used to reinforce a collective identity that lack emotional resonance, and a “doxa of grievance,” or deeply held conviction of their oppression. Implications related to data collection and methodological choices are discussed.