Witches, children and Kiva-the-research-dog: striking problems encountered in the field |
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| Authors: | Kate Swanson |
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| Institution: | Department of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK Email: |
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| Abstract: | This paper examines how power, privilege and vulnerability can surface in unexpected ways during fieldwork. Drawing from my experiences working with indigenous women and children who beg and sell on the streets of Ecuador, I suggest that researchers do not always hold as much power as we might assume. By positioning myself within stories about witches and children, I discuss how multiple research identities can shift power dynamics in unsettling and unexpected ways. In this paper, I also reflect upon a particularly unorthodox research method: using my dog as a research assistant. My dog inadvertently became instrumental in providing access to children's life stories; however, her presence also highlighted some of the dramatic incongruities between their life experiences and my own. |
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| Keywords: | fieldwork power identity pets indigenous Ecuador |
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