The Centre for Critical Qualitative Health Research (CQ) is a leading community of practice dedicated to doing science differently. Critical perspectives can make new questions visible, challenge taken-for-granted assumptions, and bring marginalized perspectives to light. As a hub of methodological, conceptual and creative expertise, CQ fosters innovation in critical qualitative research on a wide range of topics related to health. Members of the CQ community are exploring the experiential and interpersonal dimensions of care work and health research, as well as the political and social dimensions of how health care and science are organized.
Qualitative methodologies are ideally suited to health research because of the inherently social character of health, health care and the health sciences. By cultivating innovative approaches to critical qualitative inquiry, CQ enables researchers to tell untold stories, question dominant forms of knowledge, and unearth dynamics of power in ways that are thought-provoking and intellectually rigorous. The knowledge that this work creates can potentially benefit all people, especially those who are marginalized or under-served by existing policies and practices.
Through methodological innovation and conceptual development, CQ’s work leads to changes in the field of health and health care policies and practices while enhancing the concepts that inform scientific research. By mobilizing this knowledge creatively and proactively, the CQ community adds value to scientific and public conversations on a wide range of health-related topics.
