Anusha Kassan

Positioning of Weight Bias: Moving towards Social Justice

Weight bias is a form of stigma with detrimental effects on the health and wellness of individuals with large bodies. Researchers from various disciplines have recognized weight bias as an important topic for public health and for professional practice. To date, researchers from various areas have approached weight bias from independent perspectives and from differing theoretical orientations. In this paper, we examined the similarities and differences between three perspectives (i.e., weight-centric, non-weight-centric (health-centric), and health at every size) used to understand weight bias and approach weight bias research with regard to (a) language about people with large bodies, (b) theoretical position, (c) identified consequences of weight bias, and (d) identified influences on weight-based social inequity. We suggest that, despite differences, each perspective acknowledges the negative influences that position weight as being within individual control and the negative consequences of weight bias. We call for recognition and discussion of weight bias as a social justice issue in order to change the discourse and professional practices extended towards individuals with large bodies. We advocate for an emphasis on social justice as a uniting framework for interdisciplinary research on weight bias.

Becoming new together: making meaning with newcomers through an arts-based ethnographic research design

ABSTRACT This article proposes an arts-based ethnographic research design as a means of engaging in ethical, meaningful, and culturally sensitive research with newcomer communities. Moving away from the manner in which culture has traditionally been defined and studied in psychology, this research design uses cultural probes and subsequent qualitative interviews to collect data about newcomers’ everyday experiences in Canada. Cultural probes are sets of creative items (e.g., cameras, diaries, maps, paint supplies, postcards) that are given to participants to prompt them to document their lives in their new environment. These cultural probes are later unpacked and discussed in individual qualitative interviews. Results are disseminated and archived in ways that are meant to engage and empower communities. Specifically, the process of creating a cultural exhibit collaboratively with participants is discussed.

Exploring newcomer women’s embodied selves: culturally responsible qualitative research

ABSTRACT In recent years, several scholars have called for the construct of embodiment as a meaningful way to explore the ways in which women experience their bodies. However, limited research has explored embodiment specifically amongst newcomer women who are part of visible minority groups in Canada. Although embodiment theories acknowledge the central role of culture in shaping the ways individuals experience their bodies, it remains unclear if and how research can tap into newcomer women’s embodiment in a way that is culturally responsible. Thus, this article will explore how the construct of embodiment offers a meaningful vantage point from which to conduct qualitative research with newcomer women, offering suggestions for working through some of the ethical, methodological, and cultural considerations that may arise in doing so. More specifically, strategies and considerations will be discussed for developing meaningful research questions, engaging in responsible recruitment, building research relationships, attending to culturally responsible data collection, and partaking in embodied reflexivity. Implications for counselling practice and social justice will also be provided.