Research Locations for Ethnographic Fieldwork


How location independent is this research?
The mobile nature of digital nomadism means that I will be conducting research with nomads in a range of locations. As a result my research field site may also be mobile which for some ’traditional’ anthropologists is problematic and dangerous. I don’t agree with this ‘traditional’ prejudice. Whilst I can see the value of conducting in depth research in a single location, I also believe that in a global digitally connected mobile world, anthropologists need to respond accordingly.

However to engage in detailed ethnographic research and participant observation (the key methodological tools used by anthropologists) I will need to spend time specific locations and cowering spaces. If you run a co-working space and would be happy for me to conduct some research in you location please get in touch.

Research locations are likely to include:

Bali. There is a significant digital nomad/co-working presence here and I have visited on several occasions. If you are attempting to be a digital nomad in Bali (or have been) and would like to be involved please get in touch.

Koh Phangan. If you are living and working here for part of the year, I would be interested in hearing from you.

Bangkok. Even though you will just be one of many millions of workers in Bangkok there are several co-working spaces here. And I am interested to understand how digital nomadism might be playing out in such a large global city.

Chiang Mai. Many digital nomads tell me that Chiang Man is ’the centre of the digital nomads world.’ As a result this is a key research location for me. One of the most interesting aspects about Chiang Mai is that some people stick around for quite a long time and put roots down. Not everyone stays a digital nomad forever and I’m interested in why and how this happens.

Getting involved, a note on consent and anonymity. I frequently mention his as a topic. By way of reassurance I want to stress that whether you are an individual or a business I will always assume you want to be anonymous unless you tell me otherwise. As a result some of the research that I have done in less populated locations are not named.

—————————————————————————————————————————
If you are interested in learning more about this research or would like to share some of your digital nomads stories please get in touch.

Twitter: @iamdavecook

Email: david.cook.15@ucl.ac.uk