Situated knowledge in cross-cultural, cross-language research: a
collaborative reflexive analysis of researcher, assistant and participant
subjectivity
Martina Angela Caretta
This article analyzes situated knowledge through the lens of the author
and her three field assistants. This work is written self-reflexively and is
based on geographical fieldwork in Eastern Africa. It seeks to capitalize on
the personal and professional relationships of the researcher and her field
assistants to improve both research outcomes and working arrangements.
Reflecting on episodes of failure, anxiety and misunderstanding, it
disentangles the power geometry of situated knowledge and sheds light on the
vital role played by the assistant/interpreter and by his/her positionality ‘in
the making’ of cross-cultural, cross-language research. Grounded in a feminist
epistemological perspective, this article shows that methodological reflexivity
should engage not only the researcher or the participants but also the field
assistants. This praxis is crucial to enhancing the validity of studies
conducted in a cross-cultural, cross-language environment across social
science.
This article analyzes situated knowledge through the lens of the author
and her three field assistants. This work is written self-reflexively and is
based on geographical fieldwork in Eastern Africa. It seeks to capitalize on
the personal and professional relationships of the researcher and her field
assistants to improve both research outcomes and working arrangements.
Reflecting on episodes of failure, anxiety and misunderstanding, it
disentangles the power geometry of situated knowledge and sheds light on the
vital role played by the assistant/interpreter and by his/her positionality ‘in
the making’ of cross-cultural, cross-language research. Grounded in a feminist
epistemological perspective, this article shows that methodological reflexivity
should engage not only the researcher or the participants but also the field
assistants. This praxis is crucial to enhancing the validity of studies
conducted in a cross-cultural, cross-language environment across social
science.
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