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The death of informants or when a fieldworker outlives the community studied.

Authors :
Jakoubek, Marek
Source :
International Journal of Social Research Methodology. Mar2019, Vol. 22 Issue 2, p207-218. 12p.
Publication Year :
2019

Abstract

This paper analyses the phenomenon of the death of informants. Based on his own experience with the long-term (1999-2016) research of Voyvodovo - the only Czech village in Bulgaria, the author shows what the death of one's informants means for the research and the researcher. The author argues that any long-term fieldwork entails emotional involvement of the researcher, and so the departure of his or her informants has a deep impact on the researcher's well-being. The articles also address methodological consequences of the death of informants, namely, the case when the death of all of them leads to a situation that the group ceases to exist. The author shows that with the last member's passing away Malinowski's 'native's point of view' is lost forever. The author also suggests that the topic of death of informants should be included into educational curricula for fieldwork training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
13645579
Volume :
22
Issue :
2
Database :
Academic Search Index
Journal :
International Journal of Social Research Methodology
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
134265531
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2018.1517233