Eleanor, I also had similar feelings fol…

Eleanor, I also had similar feelings following Craig’ presentation. It was wonderful to hear about how he was so successful gaining access to both the war lawyers and those affected by their actions. Previously, I would have thought this to be impossible, particularly given the complexity of the israeli-palestinian conflict and Craig’s positionality as he is outside of both of these demographics. In my research, I have had success emphasizing my institutional connections to the university in order to conduct interviews. Every interview request I have sent from my UBC email has been responded to promptly, while approaching individuals through other platforms such as linkedin has resulted in lower rates of success. As you noted, perseverance is definitely key – and I think that Craig epitomized this. I think that with any interview, it is important to ask your subject if they know of anyone who could contribute to your research. Whether or not that individual is an expert in your field of study, or simply someone who has similar shared experiences to your original interview subject, once you have found a way into a community it is much easier to find others who are willing to help with your project.