“Se busca”. Métodos de investigación para una aproximación feminista a mujeres detenidas por la policía

Abstract

This article explores how research methods can be used to analyse the experience of women in police custody from a feminist approach. Here, there are presented the methodological process developed with women who went through an experience of police detention, paying particular attention to ethical issues, through a review of the literature on this object of research, a description of the research context, the methodology developed and the decisions made about the most appropriate research techniques for the specific context and the specificities of women in police detention. The usefulness of the closing meeting is illustrated with a double purpose: to weigh the impact of the research for the participants and to return the results, But the closing group made it possible to fulfil other objectives not initially envisaged, such as group comparison of results, accountability on the progress of the research, as well as the generation of dynamics of empathy and mutual validation. In short, the closing group went far beyond the initial expectations, serving as a learning experience for the researchers about the enormous potential of group techniques for the study of women’s experiences. Beyond what was initially envisaged, the focus group allowed for the establishment of other forms of relationships with the women participants, reducing the researcher/participant distance and facilitating more horizontal ways of generating knowledge.