Establishing Field Relations through Shared Ideology

Abstract

Current literature on identity and insider–outsider positioning in field relations is dominated by discussions of overt characteristics such as shared ethnicity, gender, and class. The potential for self-positioning as an ally researcher through shared ideology opens new possibilities for research methods, but its precarious nature needs to be better understood. Multisited research provides a unique context for exploring this. Through my research in rural South Asia, I have found that shared ideology is more likely to be effective in forming good research relations where the politics of struggle is local and negotiated such that daily happenings allow the researcher to overtly demonstrate empathy with the group under study.