Despite careful planning and conceptualising, the field can become an unknown territory presenting challenges. Taking into consideration the technicalities of rural India, I share the practical issues and complexities of the field and the struggles of a woman as a researcher in negotiating this contextual and cultural position.
Navigating Identity and Gender in the Field Read More »
These encounters revealed how fieldwork in emotionally charged settings blurred boundaries between the professional and the personal, much like the work of the special educators we were studying. In trying to understand the weight they carry, we found ourselves carrying some of it too.
Feeling the Field: A Reflection on the Emotional Labor of Special Educators in Kerala Read More »
Coming from a background in physics, my pivot to conservation research often felt disorienting — but not aimless. Standing in MM Hills, trying to understand the intersections of gender, land, and traditional ecological knowledge, was not something I ever imagined, but it felt necessary. The early days of fieldwork were marked by isolation.
Field Reflections from MM Hills: Notes on Research, Routine, and Resilience Read More »
It was then I realised that Jahanara was not just a former participant, but a familiar face who I have met several times. I recalled her face, smiling at me everytime I saw her. Little did I know that Jahanara was also one of the motivations for me to begin with my PhD.
Echoes of Absence: In Memory of a Participant Read More »
Even after finalising and conceptualising the research framework beforehand, the field can present unforeseen challenges. It can quickly turn into an unpredictable site that may defy what one had imagined before the field visit. In such scenarios, researchers must navigate the field and explore every other avenue to carry out data collection. In this article, I share how I had to make significant adjustments to my research framework, including the research tools that I had designed for the study, since the field demanded it.
Reflections on the Unpredictable nature of the Field Read More »
As a female researcher delving into the intricacies of education policy in rural areas, there is an opportunity to foster a deeper understanding of the policy’s impact on marginalized communities, especially women and girls.
A Female Field Researcher’s Experiences in Rural Rajasthan Read More »
To investigate the underlying socio-economic and educational status of children, the primary data was collected by conducting household surveys, interviews, and focus group discussions with slum dwellers living in selected slums of Patna.
Onsite fieldwork at a time when schools had been closed for almost 600 days, seemed impossible. Nevertheless, doctoral deadlines were ticking, funding was precarious, and the visa situation was tense. And so I had to, as was the lingo of the time, “pivot.”
Doing school-based research in a global pandemic Read More »
This article is a reflection and recollection of accessing my field during the coronavirus or the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic and the ensuing “lockdown” presented a rare and scary situation for ethnographers. This article briefly presents my unique experiences as a researcher/ethnographer in the field. Toward the end of the article, I argue how ethnographers’ experiences (on the field) during the pandemic can contribute something new to methodological frameworks and theory.
Corona, Mask and Accessing the Field: Reflections from my Fieldwork Read More »
Researching in conflict zones or even after a crisis has ended can be extremely difficult. As a researcher interacting with people and communities in the midst of conflict I needed to proceed with caution and sensitivity. My doctoral thesis examines the effects of armed conflict on the management and operation of schools in Kashmir, as well as how state and non-state actors respond to such situations in order to mitigate the detrimental effects of armed conflict on education.
Challenges in Conducting Research in Conflict Zones: Reflections from the Field Read More »
