I'm not sure I adequately addressed the question of motivation in the last entry. As I said, Denzin's quote is about motivation. But how does this impact my role at the community center where I am volunteering? It can't simply be a question of motivation in my case. My intentions are clearly not to repeat a colonial narrative, to take from these kids (in the form of information for my class project), without giving anything back. Yet I risk doing that if I follow the traditional approach of field study and researcher-subject relations. This also is relative to the study I intend to undertake for my thesis.
As part of the question for my thesis is to look at the question of soccer in a colonial context, I'll need to be sure and avoid a duplication in my study. Again, my motivation is not to do this, but it is not so easy to avoid. One solution (if only a partial solution) would be to ensure the kids (or my subjects for that matter) are left with some sense of partnership in the interaction. That they have had an 'experience' with me. It's important that they feel, or see, some tangible results from our time together. In learning center This will be a real challenge; one I have not yet cracked.
For my thesis it's a bit different, as I am observing something fairly spontaneous, and I will have no problem being part of the game, thus assisting the experience in being.
Hmm, there is more to this, but I don't seem to quite have it tonight. More Denzin methinks.
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