Thinking Through the Geographical Limitations of the “Field”

Abstract (English)

I never thought moving from Bogotá to Philadelphia would change my perception of fieldwork. Ethnographic fieldwork is a primary academic practice, becoming more common as a methodological tool in different fields. In this personal account I reflect on the conceptual and affective movement when naming one’s research abroad as “doing fieldwork.” Through my own experiences of those times when I, too, counted as an informant for a foreign researcher conducting fieldwork in Colombia, I address the limitations for academically engaging in meaningful ways for all of those involved in the academic practice. When finding myself as the "foreigner doing fieldwork" for the first time, I had to position myself differently from what I was used to in my previous work in my home country. This different positionality made me question what data collection and personal relations implied within the spatial limits of the field. By thinking through the concept of the "field," I propose other definitions that transcend the geographical limitations of this concept, allowing other forms of co-production of knowledge and relevant collaborations within partnering actors and communities.