The Power in Stories That Cannot Be Replaced

Authors

Robert W. Chrismas PhD, University of ManitobaFollow

Abstract

This paper is based upon research that included interviews with 61 experts across Manitoba, including police, First Nations and other political leaders, government and non-government service providers and sex trafficking survivors, who collectively represent over 1,000 years of experience combatting victimization in the sex industry. It describes a researcher’s experience taking a qualitative, story-based approach to investigating the modern social problem of sex-trafficking. Based on his thesis, “Modern Day Slavery and the Sex Industry: Raising the Voices of Survivors and Collaborators While Confronting Sex Trafficking and Exploitation in Manitoba” the author highlights the power that the stories hold, emphasizing how no other method of research would be quite as effective. The power of the stories told simply cannot be replaced.

Keywords

Stories, Narrative Research, Grounded Theory, Qualitative Research

Author Bio(s)

Dr. Robert Chrismas is a career public servant, currently in his 29^thyear with the Winnipeg Police Service. He completed his PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies at the Arthur V. Mauro Center for Peace and Justice, in 2017. Robert has published widely on the topic of justice related issues, including his first book, Canadian Policing in the 21^stCentury: A Frontline Officer on Challenges and Changes(McGill-Queens University Press, 2013) and numerous journal publications. His next book (in press) is based on his dissertation, identifying solutions to Canada’s growing sex trafficking and exploitation problem. Correspondence regarding this article can be addressed directly to: robertwchrismas@hotmail.com, BChrismas.com.

Acknowledgements

I wish to acknowledge the survivors of sex trafficking who made themselves vulnerable and told their stories to help others. I also wish to acknowledge my PhD dissertation committee, Dr. Sean Byrne, Dr. Jessica Senehi, Dr. Rick Linden and Dr. Laura Huey for their guidance and support in completing this research.

Publication Date

12-29-2018

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2018.3592

Recommended APA Citation

Chrismas, R. W. (2018). The Power in Stories That Cannot Be Replaced. The Qualitative Report, 23(12), 3118-3135. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2018.3592