Linguistic Challenges of Fieldwork for First-Generation Ethnic Researchers

Bibliographic Data

ID2411408
AuthorsShirin Khayambashi (0000-0002-8636-9401)
Year2022
Volume21
Publication date2022-04-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Qualitative Methods (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1609-4069 • E-ISSN: 1609-4069
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/16094069221147167
OpenAlexW4312710396
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited24

Language is a significant part of any fieldwork in cultural and cross-cultural qualitative research. With a growing number of 1.25-, 1.5- and second-generation children of immigrant families entering academia, many assume their bilingual proficiency helps them bypass translational and linguistic challenges. Based on my fieldwork experience, I am exploring the linguistic challenges of intragroup research. While I presumed my bilingualism in English and Farsi would help me build communal rapport during my fieldwork, I was surprised by my participants' choice of broken English and refusal to complete their interview in Farsi. In this article, I argue that my positionality as a researcher and the intruding Anglo culture in the research process diminished my communal identity and intensified my hierarchical position. Upon assessing the linguistic challenges, I will make recommendations and suggestions to address similar challenges in the fieldwork

Aesthetics · Cultural identity · Ethnic group · Identity (music · Immigration · Linguistics · Neuroscience of multilingualism · Political science · Qualitative research · Social science · Sociology · Anthropology · Focus Groups and Qualitative Methods · Interpreting and Communication in Healthcare · Psychology · Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics

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Open DOIOpen Access