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The 800-Pound Gaijin in the Room:Strategies and Tactics for Conducting Fieldwork in Japan andAbroad

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 April 2009

Daniel P. Aldrich
Daniel P. Aldrich
Affiliation:
Purdue University
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Extract

Two ideographs make up the Japanese word gaijin, thefirst meaning “outside” or “out of place” and the second meaning“person.” Hence gaijin literally means an outsider or foreigner, andin polite Japanese most speakers opt for the slightly less brusquesounding gaikokujin, which places the emphasis onthe foreign nation (koku) from which the aliencomes. But as political scientists doing fieldwork abroad, we areall foreigners, if not because of superficial differences such aspigmentation, accent, or dress, then because of our motivations andgoals—gaining information, generating and testing hypotheses, and soforth. When we speak to informants abroad—whether in Japan, India,France, or elsewhere—to further our research, we may see ourselvesas 800-pound gorillas who can bring conversations to a halt,generate unwanted propositions from nearby residents, and inducestares and pointing.

Type
Symposium
Information
PS: Political Science & Politics , Volume 42 , Issue 2 , April 2009 , pp. 299 - 303
Copyright
Copyright © The American Political Science Association 2009

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