Nwando Achebe--Daughter, Wife, and Guest--A Researcher at the Crossroads

This article investigates the methods of historical fieldwork—and the problems, contradictions, and dilemmas inherent in it. It addresses questions of ethical research, the process of information-gathering, the relationship between the actual fieldwork experience and the interpretation and evaluation of research findings, how the researcher writes and represents her collaborators' words, and the power dynamics involved in the research process. In addition, this article evaluates personhood and the intersection between the political, intellectual, and cultural nexus of being an insider/outsider researcher. It critically explores the implications of identity creation and negotiation for a more complex understanding of African women's and gendered histories.