Merging Historical Feminist Fiction-Based Research With the Craft of Fiction Writing - Engaging Readers in Complex Academic Topics Through Story

Oct 15, 2026

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Drawing on feminist antimilitarist historical fiction-based research developed during the author’s debut novel, A Sea of Spectres, the article explains the purpose and process of fiction-based research. It outlines steps for moving from inspiration to research, framing studies, forming research questions, and integrating theory and data into narrative. The approach aims to create compelling characters in historical and contemporary settings so readers learn about themselves, others, and relationships to society.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages19

Reading Time48 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Fiction as a research and dissemination approach

Fiction-based research: process and aims

Methodological and ethical recommendations

Merging Historical Feminist Fiction-Based Research With the Craft of Fiction Writing: Engaging Readers in Complex Academic Topics Through Story A journal of educational research and practice 2024 Vol. 33 (1) 147-165 [https://journals.library.brocku.ca/brocked](https://journals.library.brocku.ca/brocked) Nancy Taber * Faculty of Education, Brock University Abstract Drawing from the literature and the historical fiction-based feminist antimilitarist research I conducted in writing my debut novel, A Sea of Spectres, this article discusses the what and why of fiction-based research. I detail how to: (a) move from inspiration to fiction-based research;(b) frame the research; (c) develop research questions; (d) and embed theory and data in the story through applying the craft of fiction writing. My aim with fiction-based research is to create compelling characters situated in historical and contemporary settings in order to draw readers into engaging and accessible stories that help them learn about themselves, their understandings of others, and their relationships to society. I conclude with recommendations for conducting fiction-based research; delve into the methodology of fiction-based research; study the craft of writing fiction; read in related genre(s); abide by the ethics of fiction and fiction-based research; and learn about the fiction publishing process. Keywords: adult education, fiction, feminist antimilitarism, fiction-based research, methodology, historical novels * [ntaber@brocku.ca](ntaber@brocku.ca) Introduction Since the 1700s, fiction and social science have been interconnected by “both seeking to describe and to explain social behavior in new ways” (Berger, 1977, p. 6) . Novels use fictional characters and events to comment on social life—and often to critique it—while social scientists conduct “systematic inquiry” through “evidence, theories, hypotheses, deductions, and experiments” (Berger, 1977, p. 218) . But the two forms are also connected through their use of story (Banks & Banks, 1998a) . Social science scholars—as well as those from brain science, education, and the humanities—have long explored how humans understand and make meaning of the world narratively (e.g. , Banks & Banks, 1998a; Clandinin & Connelly, 2000; Cron, 2012, 2016; Czarniawska, 2004; Ellis, 2004; Febos, 2022; Frank, 2000; Leavy, 2015; Leggo & Sameshima, 2014; Pennebaker & Smyth, 2016; Riessman, 1993) . Story, as Cron (2016) argues, is educational. Methodologies that use storied forms of data collection and/or dissemination include autoethnography, biography, ethnography, life history, narrative, and oral history, with various foci on the self, social, and experiences of participants (Leavy, 2015; Nayebzadah, 2016) . While academic research can draw on narrative forms of writing, fiction is different in how it uses aesthetic literary tools, aims to create empathy, and leaves room for ambiguity. As a researcher, I have conducted autoethnography, life history, and narrative to understand the lives of my participants, particularly with respect to women’s learning experiences in the Canadian military, grounded in feminist antimilitarist theory. Feminist antimilitarism (Enloe, 2016) problematizes the ways in which patriarchy, colonialism, militarism, and racism intersect in civilian and military life, with a valuation of obedience, discipline, hierarchy, and uniformity, and associated binary thinking that privileges masculine over feminine, protectors over protected, and friend over foe. As a fiction reader, I have delved into novels to learn about the worlds of characters, typically those that demonstrate the complexity of women’s lives as related to war and violence, with a particular penchant for historical fiction that includes fantastical elements. Recently, I have paired my academic research with my love of fiction to conduct fiction-based research, in which I fictionalize data (i.e. , from academic theories,

FAQs

What does the article define as fiction-based research?

It describes fiction-based research as transforming research materials and theories into fiction (e.g., flash fiction, short stories, and novels) by using character, plot, and setting as literary tools.

How does the author connect theory and data to the story?

The author details an approach that frames research, develops research questions, and embeds theory and data within narrative so the fiction itself carries the academic content.

Why does the author use historical fiction to engage readers?

The article argues that fiction can cultivate understanding, challenge dominant ideologies, and help readers connect individual experiences to larger social contexts, making complex academic topics more accessible.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Blitz