The First Days of Field-work

The trials of PhD field-work in Japan

Conducting qualitative-based field research in Japan presents unique challenges to the fledgling social sciences researcher: maintaining a relationship with a native supervisor; working out the best way to approach people for information; finding a method of observing without unwittingly becoming a participant. Here, Ioannis Gaitanidis, one of our research students, encounters all of these challenges in his first months in Japan and has written about the experience.

Monday, 01 February 2010 07:00