Ethnographers are unique because they are insiders to all the research. There is no barrier between the researcher and the study at hand. Some dilemmas an ethnographer may have are their ability to actually build relationships with group members and if they have to lie to them or have to put his study before their emotional feelings may be difficult for the researcher to go through with. Ethnographers must remember to set aside their own biases or their own values and beliefs while making a conclusion to their observations. Many things can influence data especially if one is being influenced by their own belief system.
Honestly I have no idea how I would try to separate emotions with the group members and feel comfortable lying to them. I don't think I could do it. I would choose a different research methodology to conduct my research because I know I would not be comfortable lying to get any research results.
One way I might try to keep everything in my control would make sure to be distant with my group members and have my assistants keep me in check and remind me what my job is. However, I still would rather find another way besides being sneaky.
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Hi ChubbyHub,
ReplyDeleteIn my Sociology research methods class we talked a lot about the role of the ethnographer. Although covert research is frowned upon ethically, a lot of ethnographers conduct research without informing their subjects. One of the strangest instances I heard about was a female professor who moved into the dorms to study deviant behavior in college students. She befriended the girls and later betrayed them by publishing a book. Even though she used pseudo names, she still violated their trust in a big way, because the girls confided in her as a friend. I don’t know how the girls didn’t become suspicious of such an older woman living in the dorms in the first place, but it is a crazy story nonetheless!
I think that you have a good idea to distant yourself from group members if you were to study people as an ethnographer. It seems like being overt and distant is much less problematic than studying people covertly and lying to them.