From the Trenches, by Tami Jacoby

Summary of article “From the Trenches: Dilemmas of Feminist IR Fieldwork” by Tami Jacoby. In: Ackerly, B., Stern, M., & True, J. (2006). Feminist Methodologies for International Relations. New York : Cambridge University Press. 153-173) 

This article discusses the ways in which research in the field offers constraints and opportunities for re-thinking the broader concepts of social science research. Jacoby uses the example of her fieldwork in Israel-Palestine, which centered on questions of security for women. Her experiences during her interview process emphasized the importance of the different definitions of ‘security’ held by different women. Her perspective also reflected the themes of flexibility, reflexivity and open-endedness because she defines research as an “ongoing negotiating process between subject and researcher which includes revision of initial questions and hypotheses” (Jacoby, 2006, p.172). This flexibility included departing from her prepared research questions, engaging in free dialogue and omitting certain personal information in order to avoid pre-judgment and/or self-censorship.