Femininities in the Field

This text deserves a place on the syllabus of any fieldwork methods course. It speaks solidly to tourism research, but could prove invaluable for anyone working with human subjects in the field. I only wish this text had been available when I was heading out to do my doctoral research in the Caribbean. Its combination of practical advice, methodological analysis, theoretical rigor, and reflexivity, make it a text that can offer new insights for all fieldworkers, whether doctoral students or established scholars. In addition to all of these strengths, this moving and well-written book is simply a joy to read.

I would like to congratulate the editors and authors who contributed to this much-needed book illustrating shared perspectives of female researchers. Brave, honest and sensitive examples uncover identities and describe traumatic experiences of researchers who explore the factors and influences that impact females during the fieldwork. This book is a collaborative work of serious, passionate scholars with lots to say.

[This book] provides an engaging introductory approach to the practical issues of gender in tourism research which undergraduate students will find accessible to read. Each chapter offers the reader an insight into a specific field which young researchers might find useful when carrying out their own research. Most

of all, this edited collection represents a much-needed contribution to both female and male researchers’ university education and to their training regarding gendered research. 

This is a terrific book and it belongs in the library of any social scientist, journalist – or indeed, anyone – who plans to conduct tourism research that utilizes techniques of face-to-face interviewing, participant observation, and ethnography. It is a timely and exciting invitation to researchers in many disciplines to take seriously the role and relevance of gender in the research process.

I have been waiting for this publication all my life. Understanding the place of the researcher’s gender in fieldwork is fundamental to understanding the research itself. The personal accounts here are well written, moving and relatable, while challenging all researchers to be more reflective. This book is not only informative, but transformative – an essential addition to our bookshelves.

I thoroughly enjoyed every chapter in this collection. It is clichéd to say that a book is long overdue, but Femininities in the Field truly is, given the glaring lack of attention on the role and impact of gender in tourism fieldwork. This book goes beyond mere method, providing unflinchingly honest accounts of the joys, challenges and complexities of being a ‘woman’ in the field.