Chapter 13: Ways Forward

Reflections on the Value of Fieldwork

As this collection has demonstrated, much can be learned through reading about others’ experiences. This is as true for the personal experiences of fieldwork – of ethics, logistics and relationships – as it is for learning about the application of methods. Hopefully the positive relationships and experiences of the authors of this book and the many works of other researchers they have drawn upon have come to the fore, as much as the difficulties and challenges. When well planned and executed, fieldwork can provide a number of benefits for participants as well as being a great learning experience for researchers.

Development fieldwork has a very important function as the primary means by which researchers explore and ...