Yesterday I had a lengthened training session on qualitative research. During a casual talk in tea time, a Brazilian(?) girl Leiz told me about her previous fieldwork, which was about "disadvantaged farm workers". Well, I did not really consider my subjects of research can be labeled "disadvantaged" because I think the are the masters of the grassland in certain terms. However, her suggestions were useful that I should try everything to blend into the setting. This includes wearing similar clothes (I was wearing a Nike jumpsuit during the talk with her), do not mention terms like "university" "science(-tific)" "PhD" during the interview or observation, and be genuine about my attitude towards them.
The last question forced me to muse on what role shall I take if I am not appearing as a research student. A curious tourist? A helper? Perhaps the role of a curious learner is suitable, which is also advocated by some anthropologists in their books. Hmm. Perhaps I should tell the government and the herdsmen that I want to learn how to manage herds. It is not completely a lie, though I need to talk to my supervisors about such ethical issue.
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