Understanding Global Development Research: Fieldwork Issues, Experiences and Reflections

For experienced and inexperienced researchers and practitioners alike, this engaging book opens up new perspectives on conducting fieldwork in the Global South.

Following an inter-disciplinary and inter-generational approach, Understanding Global Development brings into dialogue reflections on fieldwork experiences by leading scholars along with accounts from early career researchers. Contributions are organised around six key issues:

Meaningful participation in fieldwork Working in dangerous environments Gendered experiences of fieldwork Researching elites Conducting fieldwork with marginalised people Fieldwork in development practice.

The experience-led discussion of each of the topics conveys a sense of what it actually feels like to be out in the field and provides readers with useful insights and practical advice. A relational framework highlights issues relating to power, identity and ethics in development fieldwork, and encourages reflection on how researcher engagement with the field shapes our understanding of global development.