Entering the field in qualitative field research: a rite of passage into a complex practice world

Chughtai, Hameed and Myers, Michael David (2017) Entering the field in qualitative field research: a rite of passage into a complex practice world. Information Systems Journal, 27 (6), 795-817. (doi:10.1111/isj.12124).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The concept of ‘the field’ is significant in ethnographic research as well as qualitative research methods more generally. However, how a field researcher enters the field is usually taken for granted after gaining access to the field. We suggest that entrance is a distinct phase of fieldwork that differs from negotiating access. Entrance is not a trivial event; rather, it is a rite of passage into a complex practice world and marks a critical field moment. Drawing on our ethnography and insights from hermeneutics and anthropology, we show that a practical understanding of the field represents a fusion of horizons where a fieldworker is thrown. The concept of thrownness highlights the fact that the fieldworkers' own historicity and prejudices affect their entrance into the field; hence, entrance into the field orientates an ethnographer in the field and influences the entire period of fieldwork that follows. Our theorizing is intended as a contribution towards advancing the discussion of qualitative research methods.

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