Open AccessLetting Go of Data in Aboriginal Australia: Ethnography on “Rubber Time"
Author(s) -
Sara Stevens Zur
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the qualitative report
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.335
H-Index - 35
ISSN - 2160-3715
DOI - 10.46743/2160-3715/2007.1614
Subject(s) - ethnography , opposition (politics) , sociology , research data , participant observation , epistemology , geography , media studies , ethnology , history , social science , anthropology , political science , library science , law , computer science , philosophy , politics , subject (documents)
While attempting to investigate modes of musical transmission among the Yol ŋ u People in Northeast Arnhem Land Australia, questions regarding the meaning of the word “research” led to the decisive abandonment of data collection. Specifically, the processes of observation, recording, and other typical Western means of genera ting data seemed to be in direct opposition to the way knowledge was traditionally shared. The author critically examines her multiple attempts at conducting this research, and discusses why eventually giving up on the research led to a more profound understanding.