Reciprocity in Research Relationships: Learning from Imbalances

Lücking, Mirjam (2019): Reciprocity in Research Relationships: Learning from Imbalances. In: Stodulka, Thomas; Dinkelaker, Samia und Ferdiansyah, Thajib (Hrsg.): Affective Dimensions of Fieldwork and Ethnography. Theory and History in the Human and Social Sciences, New York: Springer. S. 109-121

Abstract

The chapter explores material, emotional, and intellectual imbalances in the endeavor of engaging in reciprocal exchange with research participants. In reference to examples from a research project on Muslim cultures in Indonesia, I show in what contexts imbalances occur and how they affect research in its various stages, from field to the desk. The experiences of being an empathetic non-Muslim researcher, dealing with research participants’ efforts to inspire my conversion to Islam, highlight emotional ambiguities resulting from the intertwinement of emotional and material reciprocities. As a practical solution of dealing with imbalances in an environment of non-acceptance for the researcher’s worldviews, I present the tandem research model as a fruitful form of cooperation. Engaging in intellectual reciprocity with research partners supports the ability to reflect on material and emotional imbalances in research relationships, sharpening interpretative skills and the awareness of political implications of doing research.

• Dokumententyp: Buchbeitrag
• Fakultät: Kulturwissenschaften > Department für Kulturwissenschaften und Altertumskunde > Ethnologie
• Themengebiete: 300 Sozialwissenschaften > 300 Sozialwissenschaft, Soziologie
• ISBN: 978-3-030-20830-1
• Ort: New York
• Sprache: Englisch