Researching from afar - Distance, ethnography, and testing the edge

In this article, the author discusses some of the methodological implicatio ns of conducting long-distance ethnographic research. The author suggests t hat while distance is not without its advantages (such as helping the resea rcher maintain novelty and/or feign ignorance when appropriate), it also po ses serious challenges (e.g., cutting the researcher off from his or her su pport network and/or imposing an "unnaturally" restrictive timetable,). In this light, distance might best be seen as a potential tool in the research er's toolkit. The article concludes by situating long-distance ethnography in the tradition of voluntary risk taking or "edgework."