Abstract
In order that development strategies alleviate poverty and empower communities, strategies
must be initiated and supported by a broad spectrum of the intended beneficiary community.
Communities are rarely homogenous, however, meaning that development
researchers/practitioners often have to negotiate and interact with opposing community
factions with differing development interests. By associating with one faction, the
researcher/practitioner may become alienated from the other, who then fails to participate in
the process. Despite this, literature to guide the researcher/practitioner on how to negotiate
access in such situations is lacking. In this paper I draw on my experiences of working with the
divided ‡Khomani Bushman community in South Africa, some of whom desire development
along more Traditional lines while others have Western style aspirations. I examine my
research practices that enabled me to ethically cross the divide to collect the necessary data
from individuals within both community factions, making my data representative of the broader
community.