Paper short abstract:

In this paper, placing my identity at the forefront, I argue that the field's portrayal by privileged anthropologists differs significantly from the experiences of underprivileged researchers. Individual identity remains pivotal at every juncture, particularly in diverse settings and societies.

Paper long abstract:

In his work, Jayaseelan Raj (2022, pg XV) underscores the challenges of being Dalit and emphasizes the pivotal role identity plays throughout his fieldwork at tea plantation sites along the Kerala-Tamil Nadu borders in India. Comparing himself with other privileged Brahmin anthropologists and sociologists like R.S. Khare and G.S. Ghurye, who focused on caste-related food practices (Ghurye 1969; Khare 1992), Raj wonders how their experiences would have been different had they been Dalits in similar field settings. Raj expresses that his Dalit identity has made his fieldwork experiences troublesome. Building on this discussion, I pose the following questions: How does a marginalized identity impact researchers' strategies? How fluid is positionality, and how does it shape relations with interlocutors? Furthermore, how might this complicate prevailing notions of ethics and the ethical obligations of researchers during fieldwork?

Based on a seven-month-long ethnography involving in-depth interviews, discussions, and participant observation in Tendukhada, Damoh district, Madhya Pradesh, Central India, I propose the need to reimagine fieldwork. This entails revisiting prevailing notions regarding ethics, positionalities, immersion, and integration.

In this paper, I navigate the intricacies of identity, particularly within the context of my Dalit caste, shedding light on how the field takes shape, especially when the identity is not privileged. Placing my identity at the forefront, I argue that the field's portrayal by privileged anthropologists differs significantly from the experiences of underprivileged researchers. Individual identity remains pivotal at every juncture, particularly in diverse settings and societies.