On the Challenges (and Perks) of Being an Insider

Conducting qualitative research in one’s country of origin is not an easy endeavor. While one has the advantage of fluency in the local language, assumptions about one’s sect/religion, ethnicity or political belonging/beliefs often impede access to certain groups. This autoethnographic presentation reflects on two decades of doing fieldwork in Lebanon. These fieldworks were conducted with different groups: political elites, Islamists, and upper middle-class women. Contrary to expectations, the group that mirrors the researcher the most (namely upper middle-class women) was the most difficult to access, despite the use personal networks. Political Elites were not easy to interview especially because of gatekeeping by assistants/secretaries. However the use of family networks facilitated access to elites of the same sectarian group and/or regional origin. Access to the highest circles of these was difficult especially compared to access granted to Western researchers doing contemporaneous fieldwork. Against all odds, meeting Sunni Islamist leaders and those active in Islamist circles was the easiest, even though the researcher is female and non-veiled.