Contribution short abstract:

Taking the example of my current project on gender relations in Calabria and the mafia ´ndrangheta, my contribution aims to discuss a seven-dimensional coordinate system, which I propose in order to describe different aspects of positioning.

Contribution long abstract:

Relations between ethnographers and the actors in their field emerge during the research process, shaped by complex dynamics of positioning and being positioned. Drawing on my fieldwork experiences in the politicized field of anti-genderism in academic contexts and referring to historical as well as current discussions in ethnology and folklore studies, I have developed a seven-dimensional coordinate system that addresses different aspects of positioning. The researchers' position in the field is shaped by a number of factors, including their intersectional position, personal values, views on human rights discourse, adherence to an ethics of responsibility versus an ethics of attitude, understanding of ethnography as intervention versus observation-centered, power relations, and developments over time. These dimensions influence the manner in which researchers conduct themselves, for example, whether they may feel obliged to collaborate with or (actively) support their field partners and to co-produce knowledge together, or conversely, to attempt to limit their impact on the field to a minimum or even to oppose (some) of their interlocutors. Taking the example of my current project on gender relations in Calabria and the Calabrian mafia ´ndrangheta, I would like to discuss with other workshop participants firstly the potential utility of the identified dimensions of positioning in preparing for different scenarios within the field and analysing relations with field partners, and secondly the question of whether my coordinate system could be modified and/or refined.