INFO 272. Qualitative Research Methods

The Iterative Model 1) research topic/questions 2) ‘corpus construction’ 3) data gathering 4) analysis 5) write-up 4) more analysis Field work

Phone Use and Livelihoods Some research questions:  How are goods, money, and information diversely managed in rural livelihood strategies in Uganda? Sectors: agriculture, trade, small-scale manufacturing, services  How do mobile phones enter into this process? How have they changed these activities?

Research – Round 1 (fieldwork in three Ugandan villages November and December 2007)

‘Aha’ Moments Jenna: there was someone I talked to who was talking about how great it was that 80% of village phone operators are women, but that was a piece of data from Uganda, I think and it’s kind of interesting cause we haven’t met any women who are village phone operators. H: The operators were women but they were not the owners. [important piece of information] Jenna: Okay H: For me I was employing more than eight girls they were the operators but they were not the owners…Here in Uganda the owners most of the owners were men actually 90% of the phones were owned by men [although he is making up that figure]. Observation and Interviews – Round 1 (Nov 2007)

‘Aha’ Moments (phone gifting) Observation and Interviews – Round 1 (Nov 2007)

Research – Round 2 (post fieldwork analysis – January to May 2008)

Diagramming Phone OwnerUser Phone OwnerUserOperator Analysis – Round 2 (Jan-May 2008)

Diagramming Analysis – Round 2 (Jan-May 2008)

Phone Access and Sharing Some research questions:  Beyond ordinary market processes, how do people get access to phones (and other durable commodities)?  In what ways does this resolve or exacerbate inequalities in access?  How might we define technology ‘sharing’ and what are its relevant dimensions?

Research – Round 3 (new interviews and observations June to July 2008)

Observation and Interviews – Round 3 (Jun/Jul 2008)

Observation and Interviews – Round 2 (Jun/Jul 2008)

J: “would you let someone else use that?” G: “yeah, if a motorcycle, can even give it to someone.” J: “But what if they use the motorcycle to go and break a law?” G: “but that is not like a phone.” J: “No, why not?” G: “because motorcycle it is a public thing, but this one it is a personal thing. But that motorcycle is for public.” J: “what about a radio?” G: “radio? It’s for home.” J: “what about a bicycle?” G: “ok, it is just around here.” J: “what makes a phone something that’s personal?” G: “because what makes it personal? Ok, the phone records, it can keep my secrets, my phone and whatever, which I don’t want anybody to see.” J: “what secrets? What might the secrets be? What kinds of secrets?” G: “ok, I want to say my business, my personal business, I don’t know want anybody to know where I’m getting everything because I’m in business. So like that.” Phones in the Range of Possessions Observation and Interviews – Round 2 (Jun/Jul 2008)

Research – Round 4 (analysis and writing up August )

Coding the Data Analysis – Round 2 (Jan-May 2008)

Denying Access / Gender Relations Jenna: Would he let his future wife to be with a phone? Julius: You have said you are [to be married] soon, would you buy your wife a phone? S:No. She wanted to take mine but no. Julius:Why don’t you want to give her a phone? Is there any reason as to why? S:Its because she may give it [the phone number] to other men and they have an affair. Julius:Ooh I can see, he finds it hard and I asked him why, he said the wife may give it to other men and makes have an affair with other men. Observation and Interviews – Round 2 (Jun/Jul 2008)

Phone as Lure Julius: Do you ever find difficulties when using others people’s phones? H: Some times they can refuse to give you Julius: Give me an example when they can refuse H: Like some one may say, You can tell the person that please lend me your phone I would like to talk to the people at home, and that person would say, are we the ones who refused you from buying your own phone [but it turns out the something more is going on]? You can even tell the person that I will pay for it and the person refuses and tell you, why don’t you buy yours. … Observation and Interviews – Round 2 (Jun/Jul 2008)

Phone as Lure H: [about one man who denied her access to his phone] He had wanted me to become his lover and I refused and he was not so happy about it [refusal of access to phone as ‘punishment’ for refusal to enter relationship] and I did not know what was to happen after, so he started a quarrel saying “is it because you sleep in a good house and we sleep in grass thatched ones?” [he wonders if she thinks she is too good for him. Comparing assets within the village. Structure of home as indication of wealth.] I said “no this is not even my home - mine is in Buwenge, for me I just come here to do my work and I go back.” … Yes it happens because some women are coming from Teso to come and do fish trading so when they want to communicate to their families they have to look for some one with a phone so if one has a phone he would be very happy because he knows it is a way of getting women [phone as bargaining chip] and if you refuse then he will not give you the phone so most of them have to go to the center Observation and Interviews – Round 2 (Jun/Jul 2008)

Analysis (Themes) 1) Phone as Surrogate 2) Phone as Lure 3) Refusing Access 4) Phone as Personal Item / Secrets (Materiality of Phone) 5) Preferential Access Heterogeneous configurations of sharing with a complex of underlying motives

Analysis (more diagramming) User Operator Possessor Owner Purchaser