Conducting international fieldwork: Methodological and ethical issues and their significance in conceptualizing feminist research

Abstract

 

        Conducting International Fieldwork:  Methodological and Ethical Issues and Their Significance

                                        in the Conceptualization of Feminist Research

                                                                                                                    Ligaya Lindio-McGovern

                                                                                                                Indiana University, USA       

I have conducted fieldwork in various countries for more than a decade, and continue to do so.  In this paper I reflect on the methodological and ethical issues I have encountered in the process and how I have dealt with them.   

I draw on my experience over more than a decade on conducting fieldwork in the Philippines, Hong Kong,  Taiwan, Vancouver (British Columbia, Canada), Rome, Chicago to study the experiences of Filipino migrant domestic workers, and recently in  Germany and Denmark studying the experiences of migrant/immigrant nurses and doctors there.   In my fieldwork I networked with non-governmental organizations who are working with or providing support services for migrant workers to gain entry into the field.

In my reflection and making sociological sense of my experience as an international fieldworker in these sites, I also touch on its significance in feminist research.