On Feminism and Resilience: Lessons on Self-Care while Researching Rape

In my presentation, I will offer and examine some of the unexpected and most relevant lessons I have learned as a feminist sociologist conducting qualitative research on sexual violence with populations of Mexican origin. In my analysis, I will focus on the specific ethnographic lessons I have learned with regard to self-care while dealing with unexpected dangerous situations, controversial ethical dilemmas, emotional exhaustion or what some specialists identify as “compassion fatigue.” My presentation will be informed by my ethnographic work on incest in four urban locations in Mexico (i.e., Ciudad Juárez, Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey), which was based on in-depth individual interviews with 45 women and 15 men with histories of incestuous relationships (voluntary, involuntary, and the gray area in between), as well as individual interviews with 35 professionals providing services to individuals and families affected by sexual violence in these urban locations. Professionals included attorneys, social workers, psychotherapists, activists, and other social justice organizers working on these issues in the cities where I conducted my fieldwork. The presentation will also incorporate some of the professional evolution I experienced with regard to self-care and resilience as a feminist scholar, especially within the context of some of the workshops and seminars I have facilitated on self-care, emotionally engaged research, and other related issues in these cities. The presentation has the potential to be of benefit to feminist researchers studying rape and other expressions of sexual violence across disciplines, as well as professionals working on the same topics outside academia.