Paper short abstract:

This paper combines insights from two very different Adelaide-based Hip-Hop research projects to explore the range of methods that anthropologists can use to understand the lives and perspectives of Hip-Hop practitioners in Australia.

Paper long abstract:

This paper explores the relationship between changing life circumstances and research design by comparing two very different Adelaide based Hip-Hop projects that I conducted nearly a decade apart. My PhD research involved fieldwork with Hip-Hop practitioners from 2006-2008. This research could be defined as ‘classical’ ethnographic research, where the central aim was to learn via participant observation and long-term immersion in the ‘field’. After a long break where my career and life priorities shifted, including becoming a mother, I returned to Hip-Hop research in 2019 when I began a smaller-scale, team project that examined First Nations Hip-Hop workshops. At this time, it was no longer feasible (or desirable!) for me to consistently participate in the local Hip-Hop scene. I was often unable to attend late-night events and other research activities had to be carefully scheduled. These time and access limitations meant that formal methods like semi-structured interviews became central. Initially I saw these differences as a failure, feelings that were exacerbated by my own struggles to reconnect with Hip-Hop culture. However, over time I started to challenge my idealised / nostalgic understanding of ethnography and to think more critically about the strengths of collaborative, team research. In this paper, I draw on these experiences to contribute to a growing body of work that examines ageing in subcultural / youth collectives, and, to reflect on the diverse range of methods that can be utilised by Hip-Hop researchers in Australia, who each write from their own particular vantage point.