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By: Mekhla Parihar and Priyaleen Singh.
1. Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, School of Planning and Architecture, 4 – Block B, Indraprashta Estate, New Delhi, India.
2. Professor, Department of Architectural Conservation, School of Planning and Architecture, 4 – Block B, Indraprashta Estate, New Delhi, India.
Globally, cross-cultural research has become important especially for understanding marginalized and vulnerable voices allowing researchers to find answers resonating with these communities’ lived experiences. A very critical concept in cross-cultural research is the insider-outsider positionality as subjective interpretations contribute towards determining the notion of heritage and influence the outcome of the qualitative research. This paper examines the above-mentioned duality in establishing built heritage of tribal communities in Indian context. In this article, I untangle this binary using ethnographic research conducted with Sahariya tribe in Madhya Pradesh. I discuss the significance of being an insider and the opportunities it provides to connect and participate in the everyday lives of the tribal people, outside of textbook learning. An insider status enables a researcher to develop a deeper understanding of the sociocultural construct and helps in more sensitive and nuanced research. I further comment on the challenges of an insider researcher and the need to build trust for a wholistic collaboration. Finally, I extend epistemological insights for future cross-cultural ethnographic studies working with indigenous communities and the impact of the insider status on conducting successful fieldwork.
Keywords: Insider-outsider duality, tribal heritage, cross-cultural research, Sahariya, ethnography
Citation:
Refrences:
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