ABSTRACT
It is now widely accepted that fieldwork roles in ethnography are not fixed, but gradually change and develop as a result of negotiations between the researcher and those who are the subjects of the research. The researcher does not simply choose an appropriate role and adhere to it throughout the project, nor is it possible to think in terms of a single role no matter how dynamic, for a variety of roles must be adopted which will vary with the different individuals with whom the researcher interacts. There have been several attempts to analyze the development of field roles. Janes (1961), for example, describes five separate phases through which he perceives roles may pass: newcomer, provisional acceptance, categorical acceptance, personal acceptance and imminent migrant. Oleson and Whittaker (1967), on the other hand, emphasize the process of exchange between researcher and researched and discuss four phases through which they perceive the process to develop. One of the clearest examples of change within research roles is given by Burgess (1984, p. 85) where he uses the framework proposed by Janes to show the way his own role relationships with three school staff changed over the first six months of fieldwork at Bishop McGregor School.
