Thinking about research, space, Skype and swamps

Abstract

This ‘Intervention’ reflects on how over the past few years it has taken me longer to complete the early research processes that precede empirical work. I draw on an example of a feminist qualitative project I recently completed on people’s everyday experiences of using Skype. One reason why it took me longer in the early stages of this project is that I needed to engage with literature in a broader array of disciplines than in the past. In addition, I felt it important to engage not only with a variety of academic literature but a range of sources. The second reason why it took me longer in the initial stages is that most contemporary familial relations are now framed not just offline but also online, stretching families in complex new directions across time and space. This means that researchers may now need to take an extended period in the initial stages of a project to think carefully about what empirical work (performative, face-to-face, online, etc.) will best serve the project. The ‘Intervention’ concludes that spending longer in this initial period of processing information, while potentially frustrating may have some advantages.

Keywords:

• Early research processes
• families
• online and offline
• Skype
• slow scholarship
• vulgar

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes on contributors

Robyn Longhurst was appointed by the University of Waikato as Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic in 2015, following a term as Pro Vice-Chancellor Education. She is a Professor of Geography. Robyn’s work in gender, cultural and social geography is known in New Zealand and internationally. She has served as Chair of the Commission on Gender and Geography of the International Geographical Union and Editor-in-Chief of the journal Gender, Place and Culture. In 2010 Robyn was presented with the Distinguished New Zealand Geographer Award.