Chapter 8: Entering the Field

Entering the Field

The preparation is done, the flight has finally landed, and you are on the ground, ready for fieldwork. You may be full of excitement and anticipation at the prospect of finally doing the research that you have been meticulously visualising and planning for months or even years. Alternatively, you may be paralysed with the kind of fear, self-doubt and uncertainty that is commonplace for first-time researchers. To some extent experience can be an advantage in coping with the demands of research as ‘fieldwork is a cumulative and synthetic affair in which the best work of any scholar builds on past experiences, good organization and careful preparation’ (Veeck, 2001: 34–35). The difficulty is that, for ...