Hardie-Bick, James and Scott, Susie (2017) Tales from the Drop Zone: roles, risks and dramaturgical dilemmas. Qualitative Research, 17 (2). pp. 246-259. ISSN 1468-7941

PDF - Accepted Version Download (571kB)

Abstract

This paper critically revisits conventional understandings of ethnographic fieldwork roles, arguing that representations of the covert insider as heroic and adventurous are often idealistic and unrealistic. Drawing on one of the authors’ experiences of being both a covert and overt researcher in an ethnographic study of skydiving, we identify some of the dramaturgical dilemmas that can unexpectedly affect relations with participants throughout the research process. Our overall aim is to highlight how issues of trust, betrayal, exposure and vulnerability, together with the practical considerations of field research, combine to shape the researcher’s interactional strategies of identity work.

Item Type:	Article
Schools and Departments:	School of Law, Politics and Sociology > Sociology
Subjects:	H Social Sciences H Social Sciences > HM Sociology H Social Sciences > HM Sociology > HM0481 Theory. Method. Relations to other subjects
Depositing User:	James Hardie-Bick
Date Deposited:	13 Oct 2016 15:27
Last Modified:	02 Jul 2019 16:50
URI:	http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/64767

View download statistics for this item

📧 Request an update