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The life history method is a qualitative research approach that collects and interprets detailed personal histories to situate individual experiences within broader social, cultural, and historical contexts. While its roots trace back to early anthropological studies in colonized societies, the methods have since evolved to emphasize the power of personal storytelling, particularly within communities that have been historically misrepresented in scholarship, including people of African descent. This book critically addresses the application of life history research through the lens of Black/African Studies, with an emphasis on decolonization, epistemic justice, and culturally relevant practices. It acknowledges the colonial history of ethnographic research, where early scholars often silenced the voices of the people they studied, instead focusing on the subjects themselves. It offers an emancipatory framework for understanding Black life histories as not merely data but as sacred tools of cultural transmission.
Volume 3 in the Little Black Books on Methodology, Theory, and Praxis, this book offers scholars and researchers practical guidance on conducting life history research with Black communities. Dr. Kakuru outlines the entire research process, from project design to data collection, analysis, and knowledge dissemination, emphasizing reflexivity, ethical considerations, and the importance of cultural practices in data management. Across five chapters, the book moves beyond Eurocentric traditions of life history research, proposing transformative approaches that center Black participants and redefine systems of knowledge production.
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978-1-942774-52-5 (9781942774525)
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Doris Kakuru, PhD is a professor of Child and Youth Care at the University of Victoria. She is Canadian scholar of African descent, born and raised in Uganda. She holds a PhD in Social Sciences (Wageningen University, the Netherlands), a Master of Philosophy in Social Anthropology (University of Bergen, Norway), and a Bachelors (Hons) in Sociology (Makerere University, Uganda). Her research program falls in the broad area of children's geographies. She is a renowned scholar in the field of critical African girlhood studies. Her scholar-activist work aims to dismantle discriminatory and oppressive child and youth policies and practices in global contexts and critiques Eurowestern ways of knowledge creation and mobilization. Her research takes on social justice, anti-oppressive, and decolonial perspectives and sheds light on how ongoing struggles for equity are rooted in how racial and colonial legacies intersect with contemporary structures. She predominantly conducts qualitative research and utilizes the life history method. She teaches research literacy to undergraduate students and Decolonial, critical, and justice-oriented theories related to child and youth care to graduate students. In 2023, Kakuru received Canada's highest academic honour as a member of the Royal Society of Canada. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Child Youth and Family Studies. She is also an adjunct research professor at Carleton University's Institute of African Studies and a member of the Canadian Association of African Studies. The book will offer valuable insights into using the life history method to explore Black and people of African descent.
