2.4 METHODOLOGY

Initial Framework and Fieldwork Reframing Brief

Initial Research Framework

The research is based on the collection and analysis of primary and secondary data. During the different stages of the Practice Engagement (PE) project, our group used different participatory methods to collect data and carried out the analysis according to the different information they were exposed to.

In the preparation phase of the practical project, the team members conducted an initial exploration of the project theme, mainly through an intense literature review and feedback from our partners.

At the initial stage, through research and investigation of the Sheffield urban context and the Gut Level (case) context, we initially identified the topic, research directions and the research framework of our study. The research question was clarified after we got enough information, which focuses on the continuity of Queer living heritage safety. A logical methodology (Fig 8 on pg 64) would guide the next series of actions, and show how we response the research questions through a series of studies and analyses.

Analytical framework

After re-framing the research question, we build-up a methodology that will allow us to explore what does it mean to be safe from the individual experiences of the members of the Queer Community in Sheffield (the urban realm), and also to explore the notion of safety from Gut Level lenses in the scale of the collective (the ‘home’ sphere). Therefore, based on broad research background, the definition of safety first extended to two dimensions, from the individual experiences of Queer individuals in Sheffield as from the experience of Gut Level as a Queer collective.

Secondly, as part of the methodology design, we aimed to explore the role of the community connections,

Fig 8. Research Methodology Map (Source: Authors)

both emotional and as spatial agencies, from several interviews with the leaders of Gut Level and also as part of the “Share your experience in Sheffield” mapping that took place in the Gardening Workshop, organized at the Gut Level Headquarters.

Finally, in the process of the methodology, we considered how the demands and priorities of our partners will be involved. Thus, we prioritized their focus on the urban context of Sheffield, to discover ways of defining, identifying, and perceiving the role of their spatial agencies and Queer Utopias in the construction of safety.

Completing the Framework

According to the conceptual and analytical frameworks, we applied them to our practice engagement phase and developed our research question and a flexible action plan.

This action plan was developed at the first step of our study, with the aim of guiding the group members through different participatory methods of collecting the primary data in the practical activities. Therefore, during the practical phase, several participatory research approaches were adopted in accordance with the action plan, including interviews, experience mapping, and a series of discussions with partners. The main objective of this phase was to further validate the collected information, identify the challenges faced by our partners and the priorities they were considering, and to develop a draft of the strategy.

The research methods used in the project are described in detail in next section. In the follow-up phase of the project, our group collated the information and feedback from the process of our work and recognized the different dimensions of the research question through critical reflection on the findings, then refined the response strategies and proposal, and summarised and produce the existing report.

Fig 9. Analysis Framework Map (Source: Authors)

Methods of Research

First Meeting and Discussion

Based on the meeting and conversation with the core members of Gut Level, we confirm that the priority they considered was to create a safe space for Queer communities (both a tangible and intangible space) in Sheffield, to hold different kinds of activities at day and night.

DJ Workshop: Active Participation and Interviews

Our group participated in the DJ workshop (through Dina) and collected different views about the following aspects through interviews:

1) the concept of safety for Queer bodies, 2) the experiences about feeling safe or unsafe, 3) the feeling of safety in the urban space.

Gardening Workshop: “Mapping your experience in Sheffield”

Our group also participated in the Gardening Workshop activity and used the mapping approach to collect the feelings, stories, and experiences about the city places. We used different stickers and emoticons as mediums to lead different people to share their points of view, and Queer experiences and stories can be added to corresponding locations to show how the Queer communities relate to different places in the city.

Analysing and Discussion

After all the participatory practices, the group members discussed in-depth the collected data and summarized conversations with key partners, and identified the priorities of Gut Level and its corresponding urban spatial dimensions: from the home scale to the city scale.