Appendix 1: The Research Journey

This section of the book describes the journey through the longitudinal ethnography on which this book is based, a project which began in 2015. From the outset, it sought to follow some of the ‘classic’ features of ethnography (Hammersley & Atkinson, 2007). This meant we situate ourselves in the field, and relied predominately on observations and informal conversations as main data sources, supplemented with other relevant materials. We took an organic approach to questions and data sources, developing them over time as our qualitative analysis and understanding grew. Here we outline methods and give insights regarding the fieldwork, as well as set out our reflections and decision-making during the fieldwork. We also outline the ethical challenges of undertaking research with those with views we oppose, and the reactions that we received from the anti-abortion activists we encountered. We will also describe the ways in which the research changed as it adapted to both developments in the field and the relationships we had with the anti-abortion groups themselves. We will begin by outlining the entry that we had to the field and describing how two academic specialisms came together to be able to analyse and theorise the data that we gathered.