Theorizing a ‘halfie’ researcher’s identity in transnational fieldwork

Abstract

The topic of how reflexivity ought to be utilized in the global aspect of research is yet to be fully theorized in educational research. Through the use of rigorous reflexivity, this paper examines a ‘halfie’ researcher’s negotiation of insider and outsider identities within his transnational home/field site of Nepal. By examining how identities are reconfigured within transnational spaces, the paper analyzes the intricacies of negotiating legitimacy and reciprocity with participants. Although the literature on reflexivity asks researchers to be ‘open’ about their identities, the author explores how one can be open yet also be complicit in the research process. The article proposes that (halfie) researchers be accountable for their contradictory identities in transnational sites and recognize the sociocultural contexts in which they do fieldwork.

Notes

1. Native research is a body of scholarship produced by researchers whose communities have historically been the object of Western research (see Shahrani, 1994; Kuwayama, 2003; Jackson, 2004).

2. Throughout the paper, I have utilized fieldwork experiences written up by scholars of color from the United States researching in international contexts as well as US‐based scholars who are returning ‘home’ to conduct research in the continents of Asia, Africa, etc. Although there are differences in how each scholar has negotiated his/her identities in specific research contexts, there seems to be agreement among the scholars for the need to critically examine how researchers embody insider as well as outsider identities.

3. This portion of the data was collected in 2000. In this paper, I have not explored the background of the teachers since the research contained sensitive perspectives in regard to the political conflicts in the country.

4. Students who started their education in rural regions, where teaching of English is not emphasized because of the lack of school facilities and qualified teachers, faced formidable challenges in graduating from high school.

5. As John notes, the term ‘sanctioned ignorance’ is coined by Spivak (1988).

6. Bedeshi means foreign(er) in Nepali.

7. In Nepal, the term Amerika is often used to speak about the United States.

8. Contemporary political problems in Nepal, including the Maoist insurgency, which has spread to close to one‐third of the country, can be attributed to the economic conditions in the country where approximately 42% of the population is estimated to live in poverty. The per capita income of Nepal is less than US$300 per year, and close to 80% of the population makes a living in the agricultural sector. In the city of Kathmandu, where I conducted the research, the political effects of the conflict were felt by virtually everyone. Everyday conversations, whether I was at schools or community events, centered on Maoist–government conflicts, which have taken thousands of lives so far.

9. For analysis of the marginalization of gender and ethnicity issues in the Nepali educational context, see Luitel (1992); Koirala (1998).