Paper short abstract:

Debates about sexual propriety sparked by the #metoo campaign invites anthropology to reflect upon the discipline's core methodological domain—'the field'—as a liminal space in which neophytes may be particularly vulnerable to abuse.

Paper long abstract:

Reflecting established themes in feminist and queer literature, #metoo deals in the ambiguous and the intersectional, providing a public space for a discussion of the grey-areas of sexual propriety between heteronormative men and women. For many, particularly women, this discussion has been liberating and empowering, allowing the exploration of hitherto unspoken experiences ranging from uncomfortable exchanges, micro-aggressions, cat-calls, arse-grabs, to coerced, forced, transacted and unwanted sexual acts.

In this paper we take the opportunity and courage provided by the #metoo debates to explore the idea of 'the field' in the context of anthropological training in Australia. We argue that the liminal space of fieldwork is tacitly regarded by those in the academy—and neophytes themselves—as one in which contemporary debates and developments around sexual and gendered propriety have made little headway. Further, we argue that this places some PhD students—particularly female, and LGBTIQ—at an enhanced risk of sexual violence. We invite academic programs in Australia (and elsewhere) to revisit 'the field' as a conceptual, performative and inherently gendered domain.

Our paper is informed by a historical critique of anthropology methodology, theoretical insights from Bourdieu and Turner, as well as fieldwork vignettes from the authors.