Observing my own community from an outside perspective

In writing this paper, I find myself struggling to contain my excitement for certain things that are not as pertinent, while avoiding writing about the actual topic of my paper.  I want to focus on the fun details of Gloucester, her traditions and culture, her beautiful nature, and the countless writers, poets, artists, and inventors who have taken inspiration from her, and made Gloucester their home.  I want to talk about my experiences as a Gloucester resident, but I worry about biases.  I find myself wanting to write about overarching attitudes towards tourism, but stop myself as I wonder if these experiences are universal, or if they are only shared amongst me and my circle of friends and family.  

In writing this paper, I want to incorporate many different perspectives from people who are closest to the topic.  I think the best way to do this is by interviewing people from the organizations I am focusing on.  Due to my deep personal connection to the topic, I am constantly worrying about unconscious biases, and considering how to be aware of them.  Professors have suggested that I try to find people I am not related to for interviews, and while I understand where they are coming from, in a place like Gloucester this is far easier said than done.  Gloucester is a very close-knit community with a culture that deeply values family connections.  It is not uncommon for families to stay in Gloucester for many generations, passing their connections to other families in town on to their descendants.  In conversations between two strangers from Gloucester, one can expect the topic to quickly turn to what family they belong to in search of a common relative, going back several generations just to claim the title of “cousin”.  All of this to say that while I may avoid interviewing those I know personally at Cape Ann Museum, Maritime Gloucester, Gloucester 400, and the St. Peter’s Fiesta Committee, it is a challenge to avoid someone who knows me.  For even if they do not know Noelle Perry, they may know my family and have unconscious biases.  This is not to toot my own horn and imply that I come from some sort of exceptionally influential family with high social standing, this is simply the case for most people in Gloucester.  We are all connected, for better or worse.In the case of studying my own hometown, heritage, and community, achieving analytical distance is no easy task.  It begs the question, how do scholars study communities to which they belong?