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Outsider from within: Reflections on my fieldwork journey in my native/strange Eastern Cape Contexts Stunky Duku 28th October 2006 Sixth Annual Education.

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Presentation on theme: "Outsider from within: Reflections on my fieldwork journey in my native/strange Eastern Cape Contexts Stunky Duku 28th October 2006 Sixth Annual Education."— Presentation transcript:

1 Outsider from within: Reflections on my fieldwork journey in my native/strange Eastern Cape Contexts Stunky Duku 28th October 2006 Sixth Annual Education Students’ Regional Research Conference UWC

2 Aims of the paper To explore ways in which meaning making is negotiated, To challenge insider outsider dichotomy To reflect on “ethics in practice” (Wren, 2004)

3 Central argument Process of knowledge meaning is socially constructed Opportunities offered and challenges presented by insider status Impossibility of absolutes in insider/outsider researcher

4 Research sites 6 sites (50% prior interaction) Negotiation of entry in both school and community levels Share language and cultural background Residence methodology (McMillan & Schumacher, 1993)

5 Reflections Assumptions before fieldwork: –I had access to the past and present history of the research arena (Schutz, 1976), –Did not expect culture shock or disorientation (Hockey, 1993),

6 Reflections –Have lived or experienced their material in some fashion (Miller & Glasser, 1997), –Would be able to define research journey, including researcher researched power dynamics,

7 Reflections Experiences: –Was accepted by respondents, –Had a fair advantage of the language, –Was challenged by the language “private code”, (Schutz, 1976) “Native going stranger” (Hockey, 1993)

8 Reflections –Respondents defined roles and identities, –Re-negotiated ethics in practice, –Was the other to respondents as they were to me, –Some respondents’ familiarity with ‘my background’ evoked negative perception about research

9 Conclusions Meaning making is socially constructed by researcher and researched Appreciation of the re-locations and dislocations of researcher roles/identities Impossibility of absolute insider/outsider status, Appreciation of insider and outsider roles to inform and enhance research experience


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