While in the field one of the issues the researcher has to remain aware of is the extent to which the researcher influences those whom he/she researches. Although during this research I attempted to withdraw from discussing my own points of view whenever possible, in the exchange of information, it is still possible that the participants sensed my adherence to a feminist standpoint which may have to some extent influenced what they were telling me. The interviews were semi-structured and sometimes, informal conversations were held with participants at times particularly when staying with their families. It was difficult to avoid the discussion of matters, particularly about women and men and culture and politics and law when conversing with participants out of the scheduled interviews. The whole research became a process of constant exchange of information. I remained reluctant to express my view, however being an ‘insider’ and ‘outsider’ (since I studied abroad) in the participants’ opinion, I was asked for my views, particularly on decorum and ways of dressing in Tajikistan and in the West, i.e. the UK. It was particularly difficult to avoid such conversations if I was travelling in a minibus (usually consisting of six people) for 24 hours or more. On such trips the fellow passengers develop a sense of unity, because of the hardship of the journey. I noticed by the end of each trip in such circumstances fellow passengers would become closer and assist each other on different matters. During the driving and in order to keep the driver entertained and keep him awake since he would drive all day136 and throughout the night,
the passengers talked and discussed different matters, ranging from politics to morality and immorality in society. One such discussion related to the suggestion that young people, particularly young girls, are introducing into society alcohol and drug abuse problems. In such a confined space it was hard to avoid giving my own opinion. I therefore developed a technique of answering with a question back because I was not sure whether my fellow passengers could be in any way related to my informants in the particular environment where I was to conduct interviews, since we were travelling in the same direction. I decided to remain cautious of what I said and did in any situation to
avoid influencing my research and its participants in any way. It might be difficult to estimate to what extent I influenced participants but the stories and information received from participants clearly influenced and directed the research.
In some remote places there were no possibilities to rent a place or stay in a hotel, so I stayed with families. In one case in the very early stages of the research, this happened randomly. I had made initial contacts before going to the rural locality but the plan fell through. While travelling to the location, I shared the minibus with the head of the mahala of that particular locality. We began talking and I explained to him the purpose of my travel and the problem I anticipated in terms of accommodation. This short acquaintance with the head of mahala provided me with a place to stay. He offered me a place to stay in his home as long as necessary. Given that I had no other choice I agreed although I continuously thought about the implication of this. He offered to assist me with identifying potential participants: women victims who were subjected to violence. After spending some time in this household we gradually developed mutual trust. I did not have the impression that the family were self-censoring their behaviour in front of me as they did the first few days. I moved from the status of ‘guest’ to a ‘member’ of the household. Staying in this household made me appreciate the dynamics of relationships between men and men, men and women and women and women within and outside the household. It also helped me to reflect on the interrelationships of families and communities and how all this influenced gender relations at home and in public.
Since this particular type of empirical research is uncommon in Tajikistan my participants had never previously participated in a study of this type. They had rarely been asked to speak about issues of importance to them. I hoped that this study would provide a space where they could discuss the issues related to the subject of this thesis and express their viewpoints. In that sense, I hoped that they would gain some form of validity and recognition of their words and experiences. At the same time, there was a risk of raising their expectations, which is discussed in more detail in the ethics section below. For instance, Nargis kept saying ‘tell them [the international community] what is really
happening here’.137 I continued explaining the purpose and nature of this study, to avoid
raising any kind of expectations. I hoped that, by telling their stories I would do them justice and that they wished to share their stories. However, no matter how much I tried to be objective, and represent their voices as much as possible, it was I who would ultimately produce the thesis. I was analyzing the data and interpreting the data. The thesis is written in the UK and not in Tajikistan.