Researching Central Asia Navigating Positionality in the Field

• Main Authors: Dall'Agnola, Jasmin, Sharshenova, Aijan
• Format: eBook
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer Nature 2024; Springer
• Edition: 1
• Series: SpringerBriefs in Political Science
• Subjects: Central Asia; Central Asia Barometer; Decolonization; Field Research; Kazakhstan; Nonfiction; Politics; Positionality; Post-Soviet Societies; Reflexivity; Research in Central Asia; Researcher’s ethnicity; Sociology; Tajikistan
• ISBN: 3031390245; 9783031390241; 3031390237; 9783031390234
• DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-39024-1

This open access book explores some of the struggles and challenges that researchers and practitioners face when conducting research in the Central Asian research setting. Written for scholars still in the planning stages of their research, it addresses key questions, including: How shall we problem...

Table of Contents:

• Intro -- Note on Transliteration -- Contents -- Editors and Contributors -- 1 The Central Asian Research Setting: An Introduction -- Epistemic and Methodological Uncertainty -- Beyond 'Outsiders' and 'Locals' -- Doing Research in Closed Contexts -- Concluding Remarks -- References -- Part I Epistemic and Methodological Uncertainty -- 2 Making Sense of Central Asia Sources of Epistemic Uncertainty -- Introduction -- Sources of Epistemic Uncertainty -- Making Sense of Central Asia -- Grappling with Obstacles -- Conclusion -- References -- 3 Pitfalls and Promise for Public Opinion Research in Central Asia -- Introduction -- Entering the Central Asian Field -- Asking Sensitive Questions in an Authoritarian Context -- Concluding Thoughts -- References -- 4 'Swiping Right'-The Ethics of Using Tinder as a Recruitment Tool in the Field -- Introduction -- Social Media Recruiting and Ethics -- The Ethics and Practice of "Swiping Right" -- Conclusion -- References -- Part II Beyond 'Outsiders' and 'Locals' -- 5 The Power of a Multi-layered Identity in Central Asian Research -- Introduction -- A Multi-layered Identity -- Being an Insider and Outsider -- On Single Motherhood and Academia -- Concluding Thoughts -- References -- 6 Being Afghani, French and not Soviet Along the Border Between Tajikistan and Afghanistan -- Introduction -- The Foreign Passport as an Identity Marker -- Not 'Just a Foreigner' -- Emotional Bias and "Empathic Neutrality" -- Conclusion -- References -- 7 A Stranger in the Village: Anti-blackness in the Field -- Introduction -- Being One's First -- Black Fatigue and Anti-blackness -- Conclusion -- References -- Part III Doing Research in Closed Contexts -- 8 Safety, Security, and Self-Censorship as Survival Strategies -- Introduction -- Safety and Security Concerns -- Self-Censorship -- Conclusion -- References
• 9 Navigating Academic Repression in Central Asia -- Introduction -- Repression of Academic Freedom -- Coaptating Academics -- Collaboration with Foreigners -- Conclusions and Recommendations -- References -- 10 Performative Heterosexuality: A Gay Researcher Doing Fieldwork in Central Asia -- Introduction -- Performing Heterosexuality During Fieldwork -- Hiding in Plain Sight -- Comradery and Rituality in Central Asia -- Conclusion -- References -- 11 From Romantic Advances to Cyberstalking in the Field -- Introduction -- Navigating Unwanted Sexual Advances in the Field -- Cyber Harassment and Stalking -- Conclusion -- References