Data Collection in Greenland - Interviewing Greenlandic Women
"Neither of us has had the opportunity to go to Greenland, from where it has always been a dream for us and it was therefore an easy decision to go ahead and achieve this dream together instead. The decision to go ahead with a shared dream of seeing Greenland also depended on this together with the shared interest in social work with Greenlandic women affected by violence. In this connection, we were both interested in looking at social work in Denmark as well as Greenland, but were of course aware of the challenges that could be in achieving both.
Our trip to Greenland was very interesting because it allowed two different educational backgrounds to share a path down a scientific field that combines a personal and professional interest in Greenlandic women who are victims of violence. When it comes to our biases, we are aware of the commonwealth and we are born and raised in Denmark as one of the main points for going into the thesis. We are also interested in how deep the connection is among Greenland and Denmark when it comes to our target group. We want to explore the possible cultural aspect related to Greenlandic women in order to understand how culture and social work fits together. We also wanted to shed light on this specific topic because of the lack of research we experienced during the brainstorming.
We want to spread awareness about our field study in social work by doing interviews with a lot of relevant actors to answer our research question. We pursued a broader view of these Greenlandic violated women in Denmark and Greenland, and how professionals handle our specific group to support and prevent a spiral of violence. Our first stopover was in Kangerlussuaq and we experienced from the first meeting breathtaking nature and welcoming people who guided us along the way. After a little while in our hotel, we were ready for a new adventure as passengers on a dog sled. It was a part of the Greenlandic way of living and therefore a cultural element within our research field.
Our final destination was in Nuuk where we found an Airbnb apartment to stay in for the whole week. Our Airbnb apartment had a good location and we explored every corner of the city on daily walks and sailing. We planned our stay in regards to the actors who have agreed to participate in our research field. Our trip to the capital also made it possible to meet up with a fellow student who had moved to Nuuk. Our fellow student was born and raised in Greenland which meant that she could share a perspective on both cultured and societal structures which also influence the conditions of social work. We had a meeting with two assistant professors on Ilisimatusarfik University and they were both familiar with our target group and they shared their knowledge with us. The last interview person we had in Nuuk was a social worker on a women’s shelter close to our apartment.
We are now extremely overwhelmed with joy and impressions of Greenland and we want to come back soon. Our amazing trip to Greenland was not nearby possible without the Social Pedagogic Seminar in Ilulissat who has supported and collaborated with us."