The interrupted flow: How writing shapes fieldwork and vice versa
So you think you go to the field, collect data, analyse it, write it down, and you're done? Wrong. In our project, the writing flow was interrupted a lot. Unexpected meetings led to new insights. Nice? Absolutely. Time-consuming? That too.
You are never really done writing (and that's okay)
In empirical research, the search never truly ends. As you write, new questions emerge—questions that send you back into the field, back to your respondents (that’s when you realise what a blessing online fieldwork can be). And so the cycle continues—write, reflect, question, return—until you decide to stop. Not because the process is finished (it never really is), but because at some point, you need to share what you have.
An unexpected meeting
One moment that changed my writing trajectory came during an unexpected encounter with a man from West Africa, living in the Netherlands. He spoke about his deceased son, and how the burial here had to be done with great care, not just for the sake of tradition, but to avoid upsetting the ancestors. "Your blood can kill you," he said. For some reason, his words lingered.
When words linger
His story cast a new light on the interviews I had done with respondents from West and Central Africa about marriage, death, and burial. Suddenly, things they had said made more sense. I contacted some of them again and more online meetings, more WhatsApp (voice) messages, and more visits to the library followed. I spent the whole summer digging deeper. It was time-consuming, but incredibly meaningful.
By the way, after that unexpected meeting, I needed space to reflect, to let his words settle. So I went to a nearby cemetery. Being there, I could almost feel the presence of the ancestors. And in that quiet moment, I somehow began to understand what he meant.