'Ducking, diving and playing along' : Negotiating everyday heteroerotic subjectivity in the field

• Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the fieldwork dilemmas a young, female, heterosexual, indigenous South African researching everyday negotiations around heterosexuality within township families encountered in negotiating her own heteroerotic subjectivity within the field. Design/methodology/approach A heterosexuality studies approach is here combined with a critical feminist research methodological perspective. Findings The paper argues that researchers are often unprepared for having to negotiate their erotic subjectivity within the field and that such negotiations can be compromising to the researcher in a variety of ways. Originality/value Little is published on female researchers negotiating their heteroerotic subjectivity in the field. The paper contributes original insights on this from fieldwork carried out by an indigenous heterosexual female researcher in South African townships. It raises important issues about the conduct of fieldwork in (non-)compromising and agentic ways.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Annan samhällsvetenskap -- Genusstudier (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Other Social Sciences -- Gender Studies (hsv//eng)

Keyword

ethnographic research

feminist methodology

heteroeroticism

negotiating heterosexuality

fieldwork

Genusvetenskap

Gender Studies

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)