Abstract
In a time of renewed interest in the challenges of adolescent sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and service use, increased scholarly attention paid to fieldwork and knowledge production is critical. I describe the pleasure and challenges of engaging with multiple perspectives, spaces, places, and roles at a family centre in Malawi to understand the complexity of the interactions and relationships related to my doctoral fieldwork. This work is part of a large mixed-method study that explores SRH, service use, and resilience among adolescents living with HIV and attending a teen-club clinic in Blantyre, Malawi. Drawing from resilience theory and experiences of reflexivity, I reflect on my roles as a student of medical anthropology and public health, a ‘friend’, an ‘aunt’, and a ‘volunteer’; on my occupation of diverse spaces (clinics, homes, school grounds, digital); and on my use of multiple methods (including participants’ observations, individual and group interviews, workshops, feedback sessions, and fieldnotes), which make up the data collection, analysis, and interpretation processes. The reflections contained in this essay advance our understanding of the implications of the methodological considerations and ethical questions underscoring approaches to adolescents research.
Highlights
In a time of renewed interest in the challenges of adolescent sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and service use, increased scholarly attention paid to fieldwork and knowledge production is critical
That was the beginning of more than 1,000 hours I spent chatting with adolescents on WhatsApp as part of my fieldwork
Spending time in the clinic in Blantyre under a different mantle, I was faced with the question of how we as ethnographers negotiate the transition from being a volunteer to a researcher in a group of young people
Summary
In a time of renewed interest in the challenges of adolescent sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and service use, increased scholarly attention paid to fieldwork and knowledge production is critical. Between November 2018 and June 2019, while working on my PhD (entitled ‘Sexual and Reproductive Health Service Use and Resilience among Adolescents Living with HIV [ALHIV] and Attending a Teen-Club Clinic in Urban Blantyre, Malawi’), I conducted an eightmonth mixed-methods study to understand ALHIV access to health services. Spending time in the clinic in Blantyre under a different mantle, I was faced with the question of how we as ethnographers negotiate the transition from being a volunteer to a researcher in a group of young people.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
