SJSCA

Recherches en cours

Vol. 33 No. 1 (2026): Queerness en portraits. Défis méthodologiques et éthiques de la mise en récit de vies queer

Mandate of Invisibility: Reflections on an Ongoing Investigation About Gender Expressions in the Bolivian Chaco

Soumise
January 7, 2025
Publié
2026-06-25

Résumé

This article addresses ethical and methodological challenges I encountered while conducting fieldwork in the town of Camiri, between May 2023 and December 2024, as part of a research project on gender diversity in the Bolivian Chaco. Through the analysis of interviews with non-heterosexual people and my field notes, emerged the concept of mandate of invisibility, which refers to what is allow or not to be seen, in relation to gender expression and sexual identity. I reflect on how this mandate affects my work as a researcher and the impact my presence has in relation to the tensions between visibility and invisibility.

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