Research assistants, reflexivity and the politics of fieldwork in urban Pakistan

• Published in: Area (London 1969) Vol. 49; no. 1; pp. 114 - 121
• Main Authors: Anwar, Nausheen H, Viqar, Sarwat
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London John Wiley & Sons Ltd 01.03.2017; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Anxiety; Assistants; Asymmetry; Complexity; Emotions; Encounters; Ethical dilemmas; Ethics; Ethnic groups; Ethnicity; Field study; Fieldwork; Financing; Forges; Geography; Islam; Knowledge; Knowledge management; Minority & ethnic groups; Minority groups; Muslims; Negotiations; Pakistan; Politics; Positionality; Reflexivity; Religion; Religious identity; research assistants; Researcher subject relations; Researchers; South Asia; Subjectivity; Transformations; Translations; Urban areas; Urban studies; Violence; Wealth; Women; Working relationships; Pakistan

In this paper, we discuss the politics of fieldwork in urban Pakistan and in doing so draw attention to the role of research assistants (RAs) in the production of knowledge. The discussion explores how the roles, reflexivity and positionality of our three Muslim female RAs adds depth to our understa...