Conquering Duppies in Kingston: Miss Tiny and Me, Fieldwork Conflicts, and Being Loved and Rescued

Abstract

This is an account of my relationship with Miss Tiny, an informal commercial importer, with whom I worked during my dissertation research project in Jamaica. Our interactions, always fraught with conflict, illustrate the nuances of personal and social negotiations that frame the data‐gathering process in the field. This narrative explores the contradictions that arise when using analytical tools and methods that fail to consider the intersections of race/color, class, and gender of the ethnographer and her subjects. This article also is a commentary on the dynamics of working with people like Miss Tiny who have been overstudied.