Graduate Student Researching Beekeeper in MS/AL/LA. (Part II)

[nadine_9454]

Hello everyone!

My name is Nadine Armstrong and I am a grad student at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. I am studying cultural anthropology and actually posted in February that I wanted to do my thesis on beekeeping. 
I know I have not posted anything in months, but I was busy last semester with seminar classes and studying for comps (a comprehensive exam tells if you know what the hell you're doing and if you can write a thesis). I've been pretty busy, but have finally begun working on narrowing down my thesis topic. I know when I originally posted in the spring, I seemed pretty vague, this being because:
1. I could not (and still cannot) meet contacts to interview or begin research until I have gone through the procedures of writing/defending my thesis and filling out paper work.
2. I had no clue what I wanted to study.
Luckily though, I am in the process of working on my thesis proposal and will soon be out in the field gathering data. The thing is I will need contacts when I go out into the field and people to talk to/watch. People seemed very eager to help the last time I posted on this forum and so now I will try to be more helpful in describing what I'm doing.
For my research, I will be examining the partnership between honeybees and beekeepers and how the two affect and benefit each other. From research and going to the gathering at Mr. Bud's this spring, what I have really found fascinating is the variety of perspectives and methods beekeepers have and how everyone has their own way of beekeeping, this often being linked to their perspective/relationship with the honeybee. I want to compare and contrasts these methods by looking at the broad spectrum of beekeeping and the reasons people do it, whether it for economic, environmental, health or other reasons. I want to look at the diversity of beekeepers from large to small-scale, commercial to hobbyist. If you've got some knowledge you want to share, I'm all ears. And please don't worry about if you have anything to offer. (People worry about this a lot actually.) If you're a beekeeper, you're helpful. Feel free to email me at [email protected] or just message me on here.

Sincerely,
Nadine Armstrong
Cultural Anthropology Grad Student,
University of Southern Mississippi