Multimethod research on precarious work under disabling capitalism: methodological reflections

This paper offers methodological reflections on the possibilities and challenges of multimethod research on disability politics and precarious work. These reflections are informed by a doctoral research project entitled “The Politics of Disablement and Precarious Work in the UK: Prefiguring an Anti-Productivist Future” that examined oppression, exploitation, and precarity under disabling capitalism. In this project, twenty-seven gig economy workers subjected to structural disablement contributed through interviews, with twelve also taking part in a diary-keeping research phase over eight weeks; ten diarists also attended post-diary interviews. The paper is organised as follows. First, I provide a brief overview of the methods adopted in the project. Second, I take the reader on a journey of the practical steps taken in preparation for this project’s data production phase. The third section conveys the processual aspects of data production, alongside participants’ reflections on their own involvement in the project. In the final section, I highlight the difficulties encountered while seeking to implement the compensation process for this project. The paper concludes with a call for universities and social research funders to establish clearer and more flexible processes for ensuring that research participants’ involvement is adequately compensated and that all doctoral researchers have access to guidelines and the necessary funds to compensate participants.