Rules of the road: doing fieldwork and negotiating interactions with hesitant public figures

Abstract

In this article, we address negotiating interactions with hesitant participants who are public figures, yet do not traditionally fit within the category of the advantaged. We target new field researchers and rusty veterans by offering an applied approach to: (1) preparing for the field; (2) managing interactions with hesitant participants via finding common ground while drawing lines, connecting with key informants, and expanding on public information; and (3) working through failed interviews. We discuss the importance of power relationships, positionality, and ethical standards, particularly in relation to negotiating similarities and differences between researchers and participants.

“I Just Want to Be Left Alone”: Novel Sociological Insights Into Dramaturgical Demands on Professional Athletes

“…Given the need to preserve the anonymity of participants, we provide details only of the sport played alongside the data extracts below. Indicating even basic demographic information such as gender and age would risk identifying these high-profile athletes (Anthony and Danaher, 2016).…”

The challenge of recruiting and engaging reluctant non-expert representatives

“…The literature on survey non-response is well-developed (for a recent overview, see Bach et al, 2020), and many studies have analysed the processes of selection and recruitment, and reluctance, in ethnographic research, especially focusing on the complex issue of access (Bengry-Howell and Griffin, 2012; Riese, 2019). With some relevant exception, instead, methodological literature often overlooks the problems arising in the process of recruiting participants for interview-based research (Adler and Adler, 2003; Anthony and Danaher, 2016; Clark, 2010; Emmel, 2014; Kristensen and Ravn, 2015; Levine, 2017; McCormack et al, 2012; Reybold et al, 2012). However, the interest is increasing in recent years, especially in case of vulnerable or hard-to-reach populations, even though both ‘vulnerable’ (Aldridge, 2004) and ‘hard-to-reach’ (Marpsat and Razafindratsima, 2010) statuses are complex to define 2 .…”

“…They can be hard-to-reach, as in the case of wealthy and powerful, or disadvantaged, people (Adler and Adler, 2003). Or, they can be extremely busy and bounded by strict schedules (Anthony and Danaher, 2016). ‘Hidden’ populations, stigmatized groups that are hard-to-trace, also present many difficulties (Barratt and Maddox, 2016).…”

“…Representatives of religious groups can be interpreted as ‘liminal public figures’, following the definition suggested by Anthony and Danaher (2016): public figures with marginal positions in society. These public figures can be hesitant to be interviewed, they argue, out of concern for their public reputation.…”

The interview as an opportunity for participant reflexivity

“…Productive in recent research has been the attention to discomfort or trouble in interviews. Work on trouble surfaces in multiple forms, such as hesitancy (Tracy and Rivera, 2010;Anthony and Danaher, 2016), misunderstandings or challenges during interviews (Court and Abbas, 2013;Roulston, 2014), or silence and avoidance of topics (Mazzei, 2003;Morison and Macleod, 2013;Bengtsson and Fynbo, 2017). That trouble can also lead to reflexivity is also attested, as is the significant benefits of seizing such moments to be reflexive (Mazzei, 2004;Nairn et al, 2005;Morison and Macleod, 2013).…”