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Looking through the Prison Gate: access in the field of ethnography

Gaborit, Liv LU (2019) In Cadernos Pagu
Abstract
This article discusses the concept of 'access' within ethnography. Schatz's conception of access as finding the nearest possible vantage point lays the foundation for a discussion of 15 months of fieldwork conducted in Myanmar for a study of experiences of imprisonment that had little access to the inside of these institutions. The article goes beyond an understanding of access framed by a focus on inside and outside and demonstrates how accessing a field from multiple vantage points allows for various views and qualifies nuanced understandings. The article shows how space, time and interpersonal relations affect the vantage points accessible to the researcher. Further, it concludes that working with former prisoners after their release... (More)
This article discusses the concept of 'access' within ethnography. Schatz's conception of access as finding the nearest possible vantage point lays the foundation for a discussion of 15 months of fieldwork conducted in Myanmar for a study of experiences of imprisonment that had little access to the inside of these institutions. The article goes beyond an understanding of access framed by a focus on inside and outside and demonstrates how accessing a field from multiple vantage points allows for various views and qualifies nuanced understandings. The article shows how space, time and interpersonal relations affect the vantage points accessible to the researcher. Further, it concludes that working with former prisoners after their release offers potentially clear vantage points that are inaccessible inside prisons. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Ethnography, Access, Prison, Myanmar
in
Cadernos Pagu
issue
55
publisher
Universidade Estadual de Campinas UNICAMP
external identifiers
  • scopus:85077858631
ISSN
0104-8333
DOI
10.1590/18094449201900550005
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
b1263eb5-add3-44ae-b69a-0e6921236145
date added to LUP
2021-02-15 12:02:11
date last changed
2022-04-27 00:17:03
@article{b1263eb5-add3-44ae-b69a-0e6921236145,
  abstract     = {{This article discusses the concept of 'access' within ethnography. Schatz's conception of access as finding the nearest possible vantage point lays the foundation for a discussion of 15 months of fieldwork conducted in Myanmar for a study of experiences of imprisonment that had little access to the inside of these institutions. The article goes beyond an understanding of access framed by a focus on inside and outside and demonstrates how accessing a field from multiple vantage points allows for various views and qualifies nuanced understandings. The article shows how space, time and interpersonal relations affect the vantage points accessible to the researcher. Further, it concludes that working with former prisoners after their release offers potentially clear vantage points that are inaccessible inside prisons.}},
  author       = {{Gaborit, Liv}},
  issn         = {{0104-8333}},
  keywords     = {{Ethnography; Access; Prison; Myanmar}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{55}},
  publisher    = {{Universidade Estadual de Campinas UNICAMP}},
  series       = {{Cadernos Pagu}},
  title        = {{Looking through the Prison Gate: access in the field of ethnography}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/18094449201900550005}},
  doi          = {{10.1590/18094449201900550005}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}