The epistemological requirements and challenges of doing field research ‘at home’

There is a tension between a researcher’s passion for their subject and the scholarly detachment one needs to study the topic in an academically valid way. This tension is intensified for researchers and research assistants living in their own research area. Local roots provide a certain credibility and facilitate the establishment of trusting connections with participants, but the same roots can bring challenges, where biases in the research process may need to be overcome by working as part of a larger team.