Overseas Research: A Practical Guide

by Christopher B. Barrett, Jeffrey Cason, Erin C. Lentz

Overview

When conducting research in developing countries, an ability to negotiate a bewildering array of cultural and logistical obstacles is essential. Overseas Research: A Practical Guide distills essential lessons from scores of students and scholars who have collected data and done fieldwork abroad, including how to prepare for the field, how and where to find funding for one’s fieldwork, issues of personal safety and security, and myriad logistical and relational issues.

By encouraging researchers to think through the challenges of research before they begin it, Overseas Research will help prepare fieldworkers for the practical, logistical, and psychological considerations of very demanding work, help save valuable time, make the most of scarce financial resources, and enhance the quality of the field research. This third edition contains new material on social media, including representation of research subjects/collaborators, students’ digital branding and image, and representing universities abroad when posting publicly. It also covers emerging technologies such as solar panels for power in remote locations, new ways of digitally sending and receiving money, and incorporates more perspectives of women, LGBTQ+ people, and people of color researching abroad.

The book will be of interest to overseas fieldworkers, and also to undergraduates in subjects such as anthropology, economics, geography, history, international studies, politics, sociology, and development studies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780367257026
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	03/19/2020
Edition description:	3rd ed.
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Christopher B. Barrett is the Stephen B. and Janice G. Ashley Professor of Applied Economics and Management, International Professor of Agriculture, Professor of Economics, and Professor of Global Development at Cornell University, USA.

Jeffrey Cason is Provost and the Edward C. Knox Professor of International Studies and Political Science at Middlebury College, USA.

Erin C. Lentz is Assistant Professor of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, USA.

Table of Contents

List of Field Narratives List of Contributors Preface and Acknowledgements to the Third Edition 1 Introduction 2 Identifying a Site and Funding Source Site Selection Exploratory Research Trips Language Training Finding Funding Summary 3 Predeparture Preparations Money and Travel Health Housing Packing: What to Bring, What to Leave Family Matters Being LGBTQ+ in the Field Academic Preparations Securing Approvals and Research Clearances 4 Setting Up to Live and Work Becoming Familiar with an Unfamiliar Environment Money and Housing Bureaucratic and Legal Matters With Family in the Field Issues of Identity in Your Daily Experiences Relations with Expatriates Maintaining Your Well-being in the Field Settling in Academically 5 The Logistics of Fieldwork Research Equipment Transportation Research Assistants 6 Safety and Security Matters Personal Safety: The Basics Less Obvious Safety Strategies Gender, Race and Sexual Orientation-based Violence Traffic Keeping Research Equipment and Data Safe 7 The Challenges of the Field Choosing and Cultivating Informants Crosschecking Data Broaching Sensitive Subjects Recording Interviews Managing and Minimizing Your Cultural and Ecological Footprint Giving Back and Maintaining Credibility in the Field 8 Knowing When to Go Home Narrowing the Topic Clearing the Decks Packing Up the Data 9 Pulling It All Together: The Postpartum Organizing Data Beginning (and Completing) the Writing Process Culture Shock 10 Epilogue: It’s Never Over Post-fieldwork Obligations Post-fieldwork Opportunities Selected Bibliography Archival Research Case Study Research and Comparative Method Ethnographic Methods and Qualitative Research on Human Subjects Fieldwork in General Grantswriting Living Abroad Quantitative Methods Research Ethics Study Abroad Survey Research Websites (Blogs, and Other Repositories of Useful Information) Index

Editorial Reviews

"The authors offer practical advice on navigating the complexities of conducting research abroad. It tackles the challenges posed by diverse cultures, foreign infrastructures, and established norms in a refreshing and digestible way. Your research journeys will benefit from their insights."

- Angela Evans, Dean of the Lyndon B Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin

"Simply indispensable reading for anyone considering conducting research overseas. From planning to execution, from the most basic personal considerations to high-minded professional and intellectual concerns, the book offers concrete, accessible, and indeed practical advice by emergent and experienced scholars from different disciplines on the joys and perils of conducting research abroad."

- Carlos J. Vélez-Blasini, Dean of International Programs and Professor of Psychology, Middlebury College

"Every researcher should read this book before beginning fieldwork. It’s like having an extended conversation with your advisor, best friend and parents, all wrapped into one. You might not need every piece of advice, but there are suggestions and stories in the book that even the most experienced field researcher can use."

- Wendy W. Wolford, Vice Provost for International Affairs and Robert A. and Ruth E. Polson Professor of Global Development, Cornell University

From the Publisher