Leaving the Field: Methodological Insights from Ethnographic Exits

(Hardback)

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Leaving the field gathers various accounts of ethnographers leaving their field sites. In doing do, the book offers original insights into an often-overlooked aspect of the research process; the ethnographic exit.

The chapters variously consider situations in which the researcher must extricate themselves from field relations, deal with unexpected or imperfect ends to projects, or manage situations in which the field becomes hard to leave. Whilst the chapters are firmly focussed on ethnographic exits, they also provide more general methodological insights into the conduct of fieldwork and the writing of ethnography, as well as questioning established notions of the field as a bounded setting the researcher straightforwardly visits and then leaves. The book highlights the importance of recognising ethnographic exits as an essential part of the research process.

Author Bio

Robin James Smith is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University

Sara Delamont is Emerita Reader at the School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University