Methodologies of resistance: Centering marginalized voices within mainstream leadership research

Attempts to understand diversity in leadership scholarship, specifically aspects of gender and leadership have focused on gender as a variable rather than as a multifaceted construct. Traditional methods of research have placed quantitative methodologies on a pedestal for some time. While quantitative indicators can be useful, diverse data is required to represent the role of gender in lived experiences (Beetham & Demetriades, 2007). This chapter will explore the use of methodologies to center the voices of those who are marginalized and to amplify feminist praxis. To truly understand the complexity of gender and leadership, we must approach our research using an intersectional lens and critical perspectives that questions who benefits and who is disadvantaged in society through non-traditional and feminist methodologies. Qualitative methodologies such as collaborative autoethnography, narrative inquiry, and testimonios are means to not only explore and examine various issues around gender and leadership, these strategies can amplify marginalized voices.