I need to re-read Lisa Delpit's Other People's Children. One of the major things I'll be thinking/reading/writing/talking about over the next couple of months is what it means for me- a white, middle class, American woman- to go into and dig around and document an organization that serves largely minority and immigrant populations and- for my specific project- teens from low income families. How will I navigate that space and document the interactions and the progress and ultimately draw conclusions from my collection of data without setting up a structure of Researcher-Subject that parallels so much of what these kids already deal with on a daily basis (and hate)? Is it important to be accepted as a part of their group? If so, in which role: as another adult educator or as a peer? Does it injure my research (both in terms of what I get and how I process it) to become a part of the group rather than a friendly-but-removed observer? What matters more? What matters most?
Big questions. I'm glad to have time to contemplate them and conduct an interview or few on the matter. Any ideas? Any anecdotes?
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