The elastic field and time-space entanglements: insights from ship-time fieldwork in the Arctic

Abstract

Ship-time fieldwork on expedition cruise ships is peculiar as the field never truly ends. Every moment spent onboard can potentially become valuable data, and the field can spatially expand far beyond the ship itself during landings and activities ashore. Drawing from two fieldwork campaigns at sea, in the Arctic, this paper explores how time and space are continuously changing in ship-time research, stretching and contracting into what is referred to as an elastic field. Temporal elasticity emerges from the disjunction between ship schedules, shifting time zones, and natural Arctic cycles like midnight sun. Spatial elasticity, meanwhile, arises from the placelessness of the vessel, the fleeting nature of landings, and the folding of research into private and shared spaces. Elasticity, thus, raises questions about positionality, ethics, and fatigue. By highlighting this elasticity, the paper invites scholars to rethink how fieldwork might be practiced, narrated, and theorized in contexts where movement is intrinsic to the research encounter.