Embracing the uncertain—figuring out our own stories of flexibility and ethics in the field

Abstract

In this paper, I document my fieldwork struggles in Kolkata India, to propose some common guiding notions of flexibility in the field. I argue that in moments of uncertainty, ethical judgment of the researcher should be a central guiding force while figuring out what flexibility looks like in the field. By detailing how I improvised research methods and ethics in the field based on the context of place, everyday lives of people in global South, and the political moment when the research was conducted, I offer two insights in the paper. First, I suggest that, apart from focusing on the prospects of information collection, it is important to be mindful of the daily practices of the potential research participants and the context of place while choosing qualitative methods, if the place is known to us prior to the fieldwork. However, having this awareness might not ensure that all methods choices will work in the field. Therefore, second, during the process of adapting to challenges and (re)strategizing research methodologies, I argue that being flexible should be viewed as more in line with being ethical and maintaining good practice in the field. In doing so, this paper calls for a broader ethical understanding that prioritizes compassion towards participants as well as oneself, which might necessitate going beyond institutionally defined regulations, to create a more inclusive geographical knowledge production process.