Stories from the Field - by Peter Krause & Ora Szekely (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Known as a field of quantitative measurement and theoretical debate, political science is also a field where researchers draw increasingly on in-person fieldwork. This book presents a collection of 35 field research stories from scholars of political science from a range of subfields, ranks, and specializations in a readable and relatable guidebook for fieldwork in political science. Each story will be accompanied by reflections from the author on the key lesson that he or he took from his/her experience. Organized around a number of methodological topics, this book will complement existing methods textbooks in that it will provide practical (and entertaining) illustrations of a range of concepts, from specific research methods, such as conducting interviews and surveys, to broader topics, such as research ethics and personal safety. What really makes this book stand out is that it will be a collection of real, personal stories from working political scientists: some funny, some dramatic, all fascinating and informative. This book will be an essential resource for PhD students learning about research methods as well as an important go-to reference for political scientists as they develop new field research plans and projects"--

Book Synopsis

What do you do if you get stuck in an elevator in Mogadishu? How worried should you be about being followed after an interview with a ring of human traffickers in Lebanon? What happens to your research if you get placed on a government watchlist? And what if you find yourself feeling like you just aren't cut out for fieldwork?

Stories from the Field is a relatable, thoughtful, and unorthodox guide to field research in political science. It features personal stories from working political scientists: some funny, some dramatic, all fascinating and informative. Political scientists from a diverse range of biographical and academic backgrounds describe research in North and South America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, ranging from archival work to interviews with combatants. In sharing their stories, the book's forty-four contributors provide accessible illustrations of key concepts, including specific research methods like conducting surveys and interviews, practical questions of health and safety, and general principles such as the importance of flexibility, creativity, and interpersonal connections. The contributors reflect not only on their own experiences but also on larger questions about research ethics, responsibility, and the effects of their personal and professional identities on their fieldwork. Stories from the Field is an essential resource for graduate and advanced undergraduate students learning about field research methods, as well as established scholars contemplating new journeys into the field.

Review Quotes

I love this book. I want every first-year political science student, all graduate students, and each of my colleagues to read it. Krause and Szekely deliver the real deal: how to do rigorous field research while remaining candid, agile, and curious. In every chapter here, I laughed and I learned.--Cynthia Enloe, author of The Big Push: Exposing and Challenging Persistent Patriarchy

Scholars seldom share their personal stories and lessons drawn from field research with others, limiting our ability to learn from one another's experiences. This book is unique in making available stories and insights from forty-four such experiences from scholars for whom fieldwork is a central part of their research. I wish it had been available when I first went to the field, and hope that young scholars today will take advantage of it, both to convince them of the importance of fieldwork and to help to prepare them for what to expect from it.--Sidney Tarrow, coeditor of The Resistance: The Dawn of the Anti-Trump Opposition Movement

The breadth of life experience captured in this collection is the reason this volume has great pedagogical potential. A lot of graduate students will flip to find their academic heroes and crushes and then keep reading. Authors are writing with different agendas, but always in a first-person voice. The effect is to give the volume both intellectual heft and a personal touch.--Jesse Driscoll, author of Doing Global Fieldwork: A Social Scientist's Guide to Mixed-Methods Research Far From Home

About the Author

Peter Krause is associate professor of political science at Boston College and research affiliate with the MIT Security Studies Program. He is the author of Rebel Power: Why National Movements Compete, Fight, and Win (2017) and coeditor of Coercion: The Power to Hurt in International Politics (2018).

Ora Szekely is associate professor of political science at Clark University. She is the author of The Politics of Militant Group Survival in the Middle East: Resources, Relationships, and Resistance (2016) and coauthor of Insurgent Women: Female Combatants in Civil Wars (2019).