The goal of the symposium is to open up dialogue about the realities of undertaking fieldwork.

This event emerged in response to a recognized need for combatting the silence surrounding the embodied experiences of diverse researchers in the field. By hosting annual events, the hope is to provide resources and generate conversations around important fieldwork considerations that are often considered too inappropriate or uncomfortable for academic spaces.  

The objectives of this event are to: 

• Create a space for open dialogue with graduate students centered on questions about and experiences of gendered bodies/sexuality in undertaking fieldwork 

• Relocate questions and conversations that are often understood as ‘private’ into the ‘public’ sphere of academia 

• Embrace ideas of discomfort in spaces of discussion 

• Collectively reimagine ‘the field’ and what it means to do fieldwork