I Took an Allegiance to Secrecy
Complexities of Conducting Ethnographic Research at Home
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2102949 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Keletso Gaone Setlhabi (0000-0001-7693-1627, University of Botswana, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2014 |
| Volume | 84 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 314-334 |
| Publication date | 2014-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Africa (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0001-9720 • E-ISSN: 1750-0184 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0001972014000059 |
| OpenAlex | W2039898353 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 8 |
| References cited | 33 |
Anthropological research was traditionally conducted by foreign researchers in 'exotic' places. However, the trend changed over the years due to various reasons such as less funding for research abroad, resistance from new independent states, and the realization that, after all, the 'exotic' could be found even 'at home'. The research dynamics changed further when those who were studied earlier began to study their own. This paper is a reflection of my participatory observation in the 2009bojale(girls' initiation) revival ceremony of Bakgatla-baga-Kgafela in Botswana. I enteredbojalewith dual roles of initiate and participant observer for my research. My ethnographic research was among my own and I was expected to adhere to the ceremony's rules in the same way as the other initiates. The discussion reflects on my dual identity experiences and relationships during initiation in order to interrogate ethnography among one's own culture. I conclude that, even though being 'at home' has advantages such as less travelling requirements and easy rapport, it is a complex process when it involves sacred ceremonies such asbojalebecause of the societal obligations such as adherence to secrecy that the researcher is bound by during and after the research
Aesthetics · Allegiance · Archaeology · Art · Ceremony · Citizen journalism · Ethnography · Identity (music · Media studies · Participant observation · Political science · Politics · Secrecy · Sociology · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Anthropology · Gender Studies · History · Law · Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics · Romani and Gypsy Studies
The Multi-Sided Ethnographer
Ethnography with a Faith Community
Safe male circumcision in Botswana
Pandemic Kinship
Between Ontological Transformation and the Imagination of Tradition
Sexual violence during research
Reliving secrecy and ethics in bojale ten years on
Perceived influence of value systems on the uptake of voluntary medical male circumcision among men in Kweneng East, Botswana
Anthropology at home
Anthropology and autobiography
Material culture and mass consumption
Ethnoarchaeology in Action
Emotions in the Field
Heritage, Museums and Galleries
Women in African Colonial Histories
Missionary Labours and Scenes in Southern Africa
Anthropology and Autobiography
Ethical Challenges in Participant Observation
Insider Anthropology
Traditional Music in Botswana
Key Concepts in Ethnography
Introduction
Circumcision Rites of the Becwana Tribes
The Politics of Culture and the Transient Culture ofBojale
Mephato
Forced labour in the Pilanesberg
I Lied All the Time
The ethnographic enterprise
Batswana Women and Law
On Ethnographic Authority
Putting Hierarchy in Its Place
How Native Is a "Native" Anthropologist
Ethnography as participant listening
Parts unknown
| Unique citing works | 8 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,67 |
| Citation span | 2014 - 2024 (11) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 8 |