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Volume 3, Number 1, January 2005
POINT Of View

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Dissertation research abroad

Last year I spent seven months in Benin, West Africa, doing research for my dissertation on reasoning about women's rights. Having never left the United States before this trip, I wasn't sure I was up to it at first. But I bumbled along, made mistakes, and finally accomplished what I set out to do. Despite the innumerable challenges, I heartily recommend traveling abroad for your dissertation research.

For one, doing research abroad gave me a chance to think about theories I'd studied in a very different context. Replicating a study in a new cultural context is always useful, and so is identifying particular features of that context that may affect theories based mostly on research conducted in the United States. It's also an opportunity to expand your awareness of how other people live. Here's what I learned about conducting research abroad.

BEFORE YOU LEAVE

Plan your trip with your family needs in mind. My husband was able to work from Benin through the Internet (though electricity outages reduced his productivity), and our pediatrician gave my son the green light to go once he was two and could have all the shots.

At the same time, get to know the area you are considering. The Internet is an excellent resource even for far-off places. I found a Beninese professor willing to help me by unearthing his vitae and e-mail address on the Web. Another option is to contact the local American Embassy. We were surprised at how many Americans were in Benin who could have given us a sense of what to expect.

Finally, take care of as much as you can before you leave. Get human subjects approval from your university before you leave. See your doctor. Find out if there is an ATM or whether there is a VISA or MasterCard outlet.

Bring only what you need. Office supplies, cassette tapes and electronics (though expensive) can be found in any big city. Particular books, and materials in English, were not as easy to find.

SETTLING IN

My first impression of Cotonou, Benin was that the markers of a dangerous neighborhood were everywhere—burned out cars, trash and poverty. It took some time to learn that mechanics saved old cars to use the parts, trash pick-up was rare, and the poverty was not a sign of danger. In fact, the people were extraordinarily welcoming.

Everywhere we went people wanted to help us. The Beninese rely on personal connections and word of mouth rather than the yellow pages, which do not exist there. Taxi drivers and neighbors were happy to help me find qualified research assistants (RAs) and translators. Get to know your RAs and other local people and immerse yourself in the culture before you finalize your design. As a foreigner, I felt freer to be nosy since no matter what I did I wouldn't quite fit in. With help from everyone I met, I adjusted the interview's hypothetical stories so they reflected real gender conflicts in Benin.

POTENTIAL PITFALLS

Part of the reason I chose Benin was to study its hierarchical culture, and that hierarchy was also a stumbling block for my RAs. Younger interview subjects appeared to be intimidated by the well-educated RAs, and they sometimes tried to divine the answer the RAs "wanted." My RAs were not used to breaking with hierarchy to chum around with adolescents, but they tried.

I also had problems with translations. Although I hired a professional translator to translate the interview into the local language, he mistakenly rearranged the questions, and I didn't do a back-translation right away. When I caught the mistake, interviews were in progress that I had to throw out. Later, I realized that my other translators, local high school English teachers, were summarizing the interviews and not translating verbatim. I had to ask them to retranslate about 50 interviews that were missing important information.

Finally, if something is not working change it. When I switched from paying by the month to paying by the interview, my RAs' productivity skyrocketed.

My last advice is to enjoy yourself. Go see the surrounding countries. Attend traditional ceremonies. Make friends. My son still calls himself African, and he picked up some French and lots of friends on the other side of the world.

—CLARE CONRY-MURRAY

Clare Conry-Murray is a graduate student in human development and education at the University of California, Berkeley.

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