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Preparing for the Field by Topics: A Systems Theory Inspired Strategy for Improving Social Access
Author(s) -
GrotheHammer Michael
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
systems research and behavioral science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.371
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1099-1743
pISSN - 1092-7026
DOI - 10.1002/sres.2393
Subject(s) - autopoiesis , field (mathematics) , ethnography , process (computing) , thematic analysis , computer science , sociology , knowledge management , management science , engineering ethics , epistemology , qualitative research , social science , artificial intelligence , engineering , philosophy , mathematics , anthropology , pure mathematics , operating system
This paper presents a preparation strategy for ethnographic field stays that seeks to speed up the process of gaining social access (after physical access) to the participants in the field by a thematic preparation for the stay. We build on our experiences of an ethnographic inquiry as well as on autopoietic systems theory by Niklas Luhmann. We shall argue that so far, little attention has been given to possibilities of preparation of topics of communication with field participants in the foregoing of a stay. However, the existing methodological literature in this respect so far focuses mainly on the preparation of professional topics for communication. We want to add to these strategies and propose to gain knowledge about possibly acceptable topics for sociable communication in the field by conducting ex ante interviews with existing gatekeepers. Researchers can therefore prepare those topics to quickly gain social access in the field. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.