Kenttäkokemuksesta tiedoksi

The article discusses how using a reflexive method enables the construction of analytical knowledge which originates from the (blurred) experiences in the field. The ethnographic data is the author’s field diary of the summer she was observing girl communities in a horse riding stable. During the observation period, the author realized that she assumed different positions in the field (from a former horse girl to the present researcher), and that these positions affected her interpretations of the community during the field period. Using the reflexive approach in analysing the field diary made the author realise that the self of the ethnographer cannot be separated from the study, and that reflexivity gives means for attaining the subject of the research: the world between the researcher and the subject. The author argues that reflexivity is an essential part of the analysis of ethnographic data and it should be applied more profoundly and also discussed more. This does not implicate, however, that the research text should be filled with biographical experiences.