Navigating caste, gender, and field access : ethnographic research / Meenakshi Bhagat.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bhagat, Meenakshi, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Meghavaṃśīs--India--Doda District--Research--Methodology--Case studies.

Meghavaṃśīs.

Minority women--India--Doda District--Research--Methodology--Case studies.

Minority women.

Meghavaṃśīs--India--Doda District--Research--Moral and ethical aspects--Case studies.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

London : SAGE Publications Ltd, 2026.

Summary:

This case study highlights the methodological challenges and inclusive strategies employed during ethnographic research with Megh women in villages of the Doda district, in Jammu and Kashmir. This research is part of my ongoing PhD research. The research focuses on the Megh community, which is classified as a scheduled caste: a historically, culturally, and economically marginalized community that largely practices folk Hinduism. While women play key roles in ritual life, they remain socially marginalized and are often excluded from formal religious spaces and public discourse. The research aims to understand this position woman hold in the Megh community and to understand their religious beliefs and practices within their families and in public. Entering the field required navigating language difference, caste, and gender hierarchies. This case study also entailed negotiations through upper caste dominance and with gatekeepers and gradually establishing trust with women respondents. The study reflects on field access, researcher positionality, power asymmetries, and ethical sensitivity in engaging with Megh women. It also explores how women’s religious practices intersect with caste identity and everyday struggle. By documenting this process, the study offers a grounded example of village community–embedded qualitative research in a sensitive, caste-stratified setting.

Notes:

Description based on XML content.

ISBN:

9781036252694

OCLC:

1594888978

Publisher Number:

T302963