NCJ Number
236392
Journal
Victims & Offenders Volume: 6 Issue: 3 Dated: July-September 2011 Pages: 246-259
Date Published
July 2011
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This article discusses foreign fieldwork and the cultural differences between the researcher and participants.
Abstract
Foreign fieldwork often comes with vast cultural differences between the researcher and participants. Such differences have implications for the success and findings of research. In this paper, the authors drew on their experiences doing fieldwork abroad to propose a theory of method. The authors suggest that as cultural distance increases, what is communicated by a participant (1) increasingly reflects assumptions about the researcher's culture, (2) decreasingly reflects the participant's own culture, and (3) becomes more righteous. The paper concludes by using the proposed theory to suggest practical suggestions that criminologists may employ to improve their research abroad. (Published Abstract)