On (not) becoming a boxer
Abstract
Debates focusing on the balance between a researcher’s closeness or distance to their field of study have a long running history.
Critics of the Chicago School’s early adoption of immersive qualitative research methodologies claimed they were breaking down an important distance between researcher and participant. These initial arguments were usually couched in the dichotomous comparison of objectivity vs subjectivity. And while the debate has shifted since these early forays, there is still a requirement for researchers to explore the position they occupy in relation to the people they are attempting to understand.
My own approach to this process is largely informed by the work of Elias, and particularly his assertions about the generation of human and scientific knowledge. Within this chapter, I will focus on Elias’ understanding of ‘insider’ or ‘outsider’ research as an unequal and dynamic balance and blend between involvement and detachment, and how this has provided an important anchor point for my explorations of sports ‘violence’.