Learning when not to share: Refusal as a methodological practice of purposeful data disclosure

This article examines the ethical complexities of research data sharing through Reese's concept of ‘curtains’ and Tuck and Yang's notion of ‘refusal’, with reflexivity serving as the guiding methodology. It explores the tensions between transparency and the protection of intimate, sacred, or culturally sensitive knowledge, particularly within specific communities. Through a series of vignettes grounded in lived experiences, the authors illustrate how researchers can practice purposeful data disclosure while honoring community trust, relational accountability, and participant dignity. These vignettes demonstrate the importance of resisting academic norms that may exploit vulnerability for institutional or intellectual gain. Drawing from Indigenous and decolonial epistemologies, the essay calls on researchers to critically examine their positionality, prioritize participant agency, and embrace refusal as an ethical imperative with the research process. The insights offered are especially relevant for doctoral candidates, novice researchers, and early-career scholars committed to ethically grounded and critically engaged research in education and the social sciences.