Fieldwork in pandemic times: Poems on research and care

Abstract

What is it like as an academic to be doing social science research in pandemic times? How do research engagements and interactions transform in the wake of a global crisis? This creative piece ruminates on questions of care and ethics in the context of doing fieldwork during the pandemic. These poems emerged from the need to reimagine anthropological research in terms of care relations and ethics rather than methods or tools. Writing allowed for self-expression and processing of life-shaking events and global crises during uncertain times. Writing bridged the professional and the personal, allowing for authentic engagements in research relationships. Given the increasing pressures of neoliberal academia, the care ethic symbolized by these poems becomes only more significant.