Title

Caring, information control, and emotionality: Fieldwork trade-offs

Abstract

Epiphany, a turning point in one's life related to "life experiences that radically alter and shape the meanings persons give to themselves and their life projects"(Denzin, 1989, p. 14), came for the author in the final stages of completing her dissertation. She had claimed in her dissertation proposal that she was going "to document the daily interactions of staff and residents at a halfway house for ex-offenders" implying she would present a "realisttale" characterized by objectivity, focus on the commonplace, "native" perspective, and researcher omnipotence (Van Maanen, 1988). As the field tale began unfolding, the author realized such an "epistemological stunt" was impossible. She wrote to her dissertation chair that her methods section might be "a little too subjective, or, given my theoretical leanings more existentialist than I realized." Eventually, this methods section became the author's dissertation about "becoming involved." The following narrative represents a reflexive version of that "life project." © 1996 Sage Publications, Inc.

Department(s)

Sociology and Anthropology

Document Type

Article

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1177/107780049600200306

Publication Date

12-1-1996

Journal Title

Qualitative Inquiry

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS