Navigating Fieldwork in the Social Sciences

Phillip Wadds is Senior Lecturer in Criminology at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. He has spent the last decade undertaking ethnographic and field-based research examining various features of nightlife in Sydney with an enduring focus on its policing and regulation. Nicholas Apoifis is Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. His 2017 manuscript Anarchy in Athens (Manchester University Press), was based on unprecedented access to one of the world’s most militant anarchist movements and involved Militant Ethnography.Susanne Schmeidl is Senior Lecturer in Global Development at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. She is a scholar practitioner with field experience in Afghanistan. Her research focuses on understanding drivers of conflict and forced migration as well as grassroots peace efforts.Kim Spurway is a Senior Research Associate at the Institute for Culture and Society at Western Sydney University. She has worked on five national surveys commissioned by the United Nations on the socio-economic impact of landmines and unexploded ordinance on post-conflict countries.

• 1. Introduction: Collecting Stories, Nicholas Apoifis, Phillip Wadds, Susanne Schmeidl & Kim Spurway.- 2. Sex In The Academy/Sex In The Field: Bodies Of Ethics In Activist Research, Zahra Zsuzsanna Stardust.- 3. Sitting With The Mess, Caroline Lenette.- 4. Fear And Loathing In The Cross: Researching The Policing Of Nightlife In Sydney, Phillip Wadds.- 5. Doing Critical Drugs Research: From Deconstructing To Encountering Risk, George Dertadian.- 6. ‘I Hope Little Worms Die In Your Arse’: Fieldwork, Anarchists, Fascists, And Academic Snitches, Nick Apoifis.- 7. Doing Elite Interviews In Feminist Research: Confessions Of A Born-Again Observationist, Louise Chappell.- 8. Risking The Self: Vulnerability And Its Uses In Research, Tanya Jakimow.- Enter The Dragon: Coming Of Age As Blond, White, Female Researcher In Fragile Contexts, Susanne Schmeidl.- 10. ‘If You Want To Know About Evil, Ask The Devil’: Research In Post-Conflict Countries, Kim Spurway.- 11. Conclusion: Sharing Stories, Kim Spurway.

“Navigating Fieldwork in the Social Sciences is one of the most honest and courageous books on fieldwork I have read. … More than a must-read for field researchers, I hope these contributions beget more honesty and courage from similarly situated scholars, and in this way ease the sufferings and help in the struggle toward egalitarian knowledge production.” (Chester Antonino C. Arcilla, IQAS, International Quarterly for Asian Studies, Vol. 53 (4), 2022)