Creatively Collecting Information with John McCauley, Rich Nielsen, and Lindsey O'Rourke Artwork

Stories from the Field

We talk to political scientists about what field research looks like on the ground. In each episode, we bring on expert guests to discuss different ethical and logistical aspects of the field research process, based on the book we co-edited with the same title: Stories From the Field: A Guide to Navigating Fieldwork in Political Science (Columbia University Press, 2020).

All Episodes

Stories from the Field

Creatively Collecting Information with John McCauley, Rich Nielsen, and Lindsey O'Rourke

February 16, 2021 • Peter Krause and Ora Szekely • Season 1 • Episode 5

0:00 | 59:49

Once you're in "the field," how can you most effectively gain knowledge and collect information? How do you build trust and connections with local leaders? How to show respect and become part of a new community? How to access and decipher classified archival documents? We welcome John McCauley from The University of Maryland, Rich Nielsen from MIT, and Lindsey O'Rourke from Boston College to discuss the creative strategies they used to navigate each of these research challenges in Central and West Africa, the Middle East, and the United States.

Producers: Harper Barbaree, John Gehman
Editor: John Gehman

Find Stories from The Field at Columbia University Press or Amazon