Conducting Qualitative Field Research

This course will explore all aspects of conducting qualitative doctoral research in developing country contexts. We will consider the different phases of research – preparing for fieldwork, choosing appropriate methods, gaining access and conducting research, leaving the field, and preparing for data analysis. The course will provide an overview of key qualitative methods and the main considerations of using these, as well as an in-depth consideration of research ethics, safety in the field, power inequalities, and the myriad challenges associated with conducting qualitative research. The course is suitable for anyone who is preparing for a period of overseas fieldwork, and there will be lots of opportunities to plan and reflect on your own project. Given the ongoing pandemic, attention will also be given to thinking about alternative ways to undertake qualitative research that do not involve international travel. The course will draw on Prof Jenkins extensive experience of conducting qualitative fieldwork in Latin America, especially Peru and Ecuador. 

Dates

The online course will take place on 17, 18, and 19 May 2021 from 11:30am to 4:30pm. A link to the course and further information will be provided to the participants after successful registration.  

 About the lecturer

Katy Jenkins is Professor of International Development at Northumbria University and Co-Director of the Centre for International Development. Her current research focuses on women’s community activism in opposing large-scale resource extraction, and she has undertaken fieldwork in Peru, Chile and Ecuador, as well as in India. She is currently principal investigator on a British Academy/GCRF-funded project ‘RECLAMA: Harnessing Afro-Ecuadorian women’s Heritage’, and co-principal investigator on a project being conducted in partnership with Voluntary Service Overseas, ‘Volunteering Together: Blending Knowledge and Skills for Development’, involving research in Tanzania, Uganda and Myanmar. Katy is a committee member of the Society for Latin American Studies committee and the Development Geographies Research Group of the Royal Geographical Society. She teaches on the MSc International Development at Northumbria University. Katy has published extensively in relation to gender and development, women’s community organising and activism, and feminist and participatory methodologies. 

*Please note that the registration period has closed.