Résumés
Abstract
Fieldnotes help researchers document research activities and position themselves in the field, invariably constructing the research, the researcher and the knowledges produced. Yet the process of how fieldnotes are produced often remains invisible. These “Notes from the Field” explore one doctoral student’s experiences writing fieldnotes. Interrogated here are some of the tensions that emerged writing fieldnotes in relation to positionality and emotion, as well as regarding participation and ethics.
Résumé
Les notes provenant du terrain permettent aux chercheurs de documenter leurs activités de recherche et de se positionner dans le milieu, influençant inévitablement la recherche, le chercheur et le savoir généré. Or, le processus de production de notes écrites sur le terrain demeure invisible. Ces « Notes du terrain » explorent l’expérience de rédaction de notes d’une doctorante dans ce contexte. Certaines des tensions qui émergent lors de la rédaction de notes sur le terrain sont soulevées dans ce texte, dont le positionnement et les émotions du chercheur, ainsi que la participation et l’éthique.
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Parties annexes
Acknowledgements
Thank you to the research participants and facilitators, Mrs. Agbor Magdaline, Executive Director of Changing Mentalities and Empowering Groups (CHAMEG) Cameroon and Dr. Sunday Shende Kometa from the University of Bamenda. The Buea Water Research team and Participatory Cultures Lab (both at McGill University) I acknowledge for the spirit of collaboration they have shared with me. Thank you Dr. Claudia Mitchell, Dr. Susann Allnutt, Katie MacEntee, April Mandrona, and the McGill Journal of Education editorial team for their helpful feedback on this piece. This research was carried out with the aid of grants from the International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada (Information on the Centre is available on the web at www.idrc.ca), Fonds québécois de la recherche sur la société et la culture, and the Jackie Kirk Fellowship (McGill University).
Biographical note
JENNIFER THOMPSON is a PhD candidate in the Department of Integrated Studies in Education at McGill University. She has Bachelor of Science in Geo-Environmental Engineering from Queen’s University and Master of Arts in Culture and Values in Education from McGill University.
Bibliography
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- Clifford, J. (1990). Notes on (field)notes. In R. Sanjek (Ed.), Fieldnotes: The makings of anthropology (pp. 47-70). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
- Emerson, R. M., Fretz, R. I., & Shaw, L. L. (1995). Writing ethnographic fieldnotes. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
- Holland, J. (2007). Emotions and research. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 10(3), 195-209.
- Punch, S. (2012). Hidden struggles of fieldwork: Exploring the role and use of field diaries. Emotion, Space and Society, 5(2), 86-93. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.emospa.2010.09.005
- Rose, G. (1997). Situating knowledges: Positionality, reflexivities and other tactics. Progress in Human Geography, 21(3), 305-320.
- Sanjek, R. (1990). A vocabulary for fieldnotes. In R. Sanjek (Ed.), Fieldnotes: The makings of anthropology (pp. 92-121). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Parties annexes
Note biographique
JENNIFER THOMPSON est doctorante au département d’études intégrées en sciences de l’éducation de l’Université McGill. Elle possède un baccalauréat en génie géo-environnemental de l’Université Queens, ainsi qu’une maîtrise en éducation avec spécialisation en étude de la culture et des valeurs en éducation de l’Université McGill.