Critical Reflection: Researching the Seasonal Fishing Ban in Chennai and Presenting at BCUR

Abstract

This article offers a critical reflection on my involvement in a research project examining the 61-day seasonal fishing ban in Chennai, India, conducted under the Undergraduate Research Support Scheme (URSS) and subsequently presented at the British Conference of Undergraduate Research (BCUR). Moving beyond empirical findings, the reflection adopts a reflexive analytical lens to interrogate how knowledge is produced, interpreted, and disseminated within specific academic and socio-political contexts. The discussion is structured around three interrelated dimensions: policy, academic practice, and personal positionality. This framework is chosen to move beyond surface-level evaluation towards a deeper examination of the assumptions and power dynamics embedded within the research process. While the project generated substantive insights into the tensions between sustainability imperatives and subsistence needs within Chennai’s fishing community, its value also lay in revealing how such insights are shaped by the researcher’s standpoint, methodological choices, and the institutional frameworks through which knowledge is validated. Ultimately, this reflection positions reflexivity as central to producing research that is analytically rigorous, ethically grounded, and socially accountable. These insights carry significance not only for the specific project but also for broader undergraduate research practice.