Gaining community access in cross-cultural research: a case of the Abutia communities in Ghana

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Periodical article

Title:	Gaining community access in cross-cultural research: a case of the Abutia communities in Ghana
Author:	Dugbazah, Justina
Year:	2011
Periodical:	Research Review (ISSN 0855-4412)
Volume:	27
Issue:	1
Pages:	65-89
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Ghana
Subjects:	fieldwork anthropological research professional ethics
Abstract:	A distinct deficit in the literature on cross-cultural research is the lack of attention paid to gaining access to the communities investigated. This paper, which is based on field research conducted for the author's doctoral dissertation between October 2005 and March 2006, reflects on the process of selecting a research community, gaining entry into the community, and maintaining good relationships with stakeholders in the community for the duration of the research. The author investigated the effect of internal migration on rural households, particularly its impact on women's livelihoods in the three Abutia villages of Teti, Agorve and Kloe, in the Ho district of Volta Region, Ghana. The article focuses in particular on the challenges faced by researchers who hold a dual insider/outsider status. In her research, a particular challenge was the ambivalence of her identiy as both an insider (a person of Ghanaian origin) and an outsider (foreigner from the diaspora). Bibliogr., notes, sum. in English and French. [ASC Leiden abstract]