counter the tendency of social researchers to privilege what they say about others over what others say about themselves. Researchers should pay more attention to emotional responses of themselves and those they research while they are in field settings and while they write. Researchers should take care when using grounded theory to force data into patterns that may not be there. Although the patterns that emerged had explanatory value, they presented life as lived more simply than day-to-day experiences warranted. Ellis concludes by seeing the emerging narrative as not one of difference between researcher and her subjects, but one of connectedness between Fishneckers and herself. Indeed, having friends helped ward off feelings of being ‘the lone fieldworker in a distant land (Ellis, 2007: 9). She believes that this might help her to call on the ethics of care, empathy, personal relationships and community and to embrace personal accountability to assess her knowledge claims. The problems was not one of being a friend. It was not living up to the obligations of friendship (Ellis, 2007). (Adapted from Ellis: 1995, 2007) Activity 17.3 Following reflections on her experience, to what extent would it be accurate to call Ellis a ‘realist’ ethnographer? What are the implications of this discussion for the ethics of ethnographic practice? Top Tip 17.4 If conducting research which has to be approved by an IRB, be aware that ethnographic research may prove a challenge in terms of getting ethical approval. Be cautious about making assurance of gaining consent and achieving reciprocity as these might prove difficult to keep. Issues of power also come into play. Some postmodernists, for example, have rejected the researcher’s right to interpret experience other than their own – hence, the growth of
counter the tendency of social researchers to privilege what they say about others over what others say about themselves. Researchers should pay more attention to emotional responses of themselves and those they research while they are in field settings and while they write. Researchers should take care when using grounded theory to force data into patterns that may not be there. Although the patterns that emerged had explanatory value, they presented life as lived more simply than day-to-day experiences warranted. Ellis concludes by seeing the emerging narrative as not one of difference between researcher and her subjects, but one of connectedness between Fishneckers and herself. Indeed, having friends helped ward off feelings of being ‘the lone fieldworker in a distant land (Ellis, 2007: 9). She believes that this might help her to call on the ethics of care, empathy, personal relationships and community and to embrace personal accountability to assess her knowledge claims. The problems was not one of being a friend. It was not living up to the obligations of friendship (Ellis, 2007). (Adapted from Ellis: 1995, 2007) Activity 17.3 Following reflections on her experience, to what extent would it be accurate to call Ellis a ‘realist’ ethnographer? What are the implications of this discussion for the ethics of ethnographic practice? Top Tip 17.4 If conducting research which has to be approved by an IRB, be aware that ethnographic research may prove a challenge in terms of getting ethical approval. Be cautious about making assurance of gaining consent and achieving reciprocity as these might prove difficult to keep. Issues of power also come into play. Some postmodernists, for example, have rejected the researcher’s right to interpret experience other than their own – hence, the growth of
Gray-Chapter-17-Ethnography-and-participant-observation.docx