Getting Into Field Research in Brunei: In 1968: An Autobiographical Sketch.
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THE SARAWAK MUSEUM JOURNAL |
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Title :
Getting Into Field Research in Brunei: In 1968: An Autobiographical Sketch. |
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Author :
Allen R. Maxwell |
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Abstract:
In a conversation with a colleague in 2005, at the Borneo Research Council meetings in Kuching, he suggested that I write up my experiences in getting to go to Brunei in 1968 to begin research for my Ph.D. dissertation. Previously I had decided that I wanted to carry out my research in Borneo. In achieving this goal,a number of difficulties were encountered, only a few of which were the following: (1) being refused permission to carry out research in Sarawak by Tom Harrisson, (2) having my academic advisor refuse to supportme to carry out research in Indonesia, (3) after shifting my focus to Brunei finding anyone in the United States who had previously conducted research in Brunei,or even having been to Brunei, (4) learning that Brunei was at the time still part of the “Sterling area” and thus hitting a roadblock in arranging research funds while in Brunei, (5) after having applied for a visa to Brunei, with the British Consul General in New York, learning that the Sultan of Brunei had abdicated the throne, (6) meeting a roadblock in Brunei to purchasing topographic maps of the country for the research, (7) obtaining final resolution of my visa status in Brunei, and (8) having an unwanted and uninvited American journalist arrive at my field site in Brunei. While these perhaps should have been off-putting, they were not. I persevered and had a wonderful time doing field research in Brunei.
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| DOI: https://doi.org/10.61507/smj22-2008-VAX4-01 |
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How to cite:
Allen R. Maxwell. (2008). Getting Into Field Research in Brunei: In 1968: An Autobiographical Sketch. The Sarawak Museum Journal, LXV (86) : 1-50 |
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References
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