Close But Not Too Close

Abstract

Friendship as method" is a relatively underexplored-and often unacknowledged-method, even within ethnographic inquiry. In this article, we consider the use of friendship as method in general, and situate this in relation to a specific ethnographic research project, which examined the lived experience of asthma amongst sports participants. The study involved researching individuals with whom the principal researcher had prior existing friendships. Via forms of confessional tales we explore some of the challenges encountered when attempting to negotiate the demands of the dual researcher-friend role, particularly during in-depth interviews. To illustrate our analysis, four sets of tales are examined, cohering around issues of: (1) attachment and when to "let go"; (2) interactional "game-play";(3) "rescuing" participants; and (4) the need for researcher self-care when "things get too much." The need to guard against merger with research participants-as-friends is also addressed. In analysing the tales, we draw upon insights derived from symbolic interactional analyses and in particular upon Goffman's theoretical frameworks on interactional encounters.

How We Know Each Other

“…In this paper, the existing friendships between the researcher and friend-participants (still ongoing) arguably produced a valuable, widely accessible output, in the form of a publically available film. We argue here that our research project contributes to the existing body of friendship research (Cherry1996, Tillman-Healy 2001, Owton andAllen-Collinson 2014, Shepard 2014) in that by exploring friendship practices among friends, and engaging with these practices using interviews and film, we are able to build an emplaced, multisensory portrait of inter-subjectivities from a position that is located within those entanglements, amidst an ethic of care. Este artículo presenta el argumento de que al combinar los métodos de la etnografía de la amistad y la etnografía visual, la amistad misma se revela como un fenómeno inmersivo, "empapado" y localizado, basado en la práctica,.…”

“…29 It is argued here that the use of film to accompany qualitative interviewing can add to the present literature on ethnographies of friendship (Pahl and Spencer 2004, Heaphy and Davies 2012, Owton and Allen-Collinson 2014, Tillman 2015 by offering a multisensory portrait of relational practices, thus complementing a growing body of work that is oriented towards reported verbal accounts. Through this research project we aim to explore the nature of four friendships as they are experienced, and the practices that bind them, by hearing participants' accounts, and by seeing and hearing their friendships in action.…”

“…Werking (1997) deems friendship to be a more fragile, disposable social bond than that which exists between siblings or spouses. A friendship is often based as much on something frequently done with another person (Owton andAllen-Collinson 2014, Tillman 2015), or on a shared belief, rather being purely based on an emotionally binding strength of affect.…”

Mentoring with(in) care: A co-constructed auto-ethnography of mutual learning

“…The thick description (Tracy, 2010), details of the context (Ellis et al, 2010) and explanation of the influence of Ragna and Miranda's earlier relationship (Garton & Copland, 2010;Owton & Allen-Collinson, 2013) enable the reader to compare the world of Miranda and Ragna to his or her own frame of reference and test whether the story could be generalised to his or her own context (Ellis et al, 2010;Stake, 1994). Consequently, the meta-narrative can lead to new insights for readers and opportunities to benefit from the lessons of others.…”

Book Review: Scott Jacques and Richard Wright, Code of the Suburb: Inside the World of Middle-Class Drug Dealers.

“…This aspect of the book is, in and of itself, fairly interesting, especially in light of a recent scholarly examination of "friendship as a method" (Owton & Allen-Collinson, 2014). Jacques' friendships with key informants proved to be quite advantageous.…”