THE WRONGS OF RECIPROCITY

Abstract

Reciprocity, or the “giving back” by the researcher to the subjects of the research in the fieldwork situation, is not often mentioned by the authors of fieldwork methodologies or ethnographies. When it is mentioned, the pitfalls that can accompany it are rarely examined, and it is usually presented as an unequivocally desirable practice. From experiences with reciprocity during fieldwork with women who make the art form known as the arpillera in Chile, the author concludes that reciprocity can be a source of insight and improved relations, but it can also cause problems for the subjects and the research. Far from unambiguously positive, reciprocity can prove a potential minefield because of the ever-changing membership status of the researcher in the group and because of differences in power, knowledge, and culture between the researcher and the researched.