Collaborative ethnographic methods: dismantling the ‘anthropological broom closet’?

Kennemore, Amy; Postero, Nancy

doi:10.1080/17442222.2020.1721091

Cited by 13 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…These relationships are often complicated by power differentials due to unequal access to wealth, education and historical legacies of colonization [15][16][17][18][19][20]. As such, it is important that investigators are alert to the possible bias among individuals who initially interact with researchers, to the potential negative consequences for those excluded, and to the (often unspoken) power dynamics between the researcher and their study participants (as well as among and between study participants) [32][33][34][35].…”

Section: (A) Study Site Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Too often researchers engage in 'extractive' research, whereby a researcher selects a study community and collects the necessary data to exclusively further their own scientific and/or professional goals without benefiting the community. This reflects a long history of colonialism in social science [15][16][17][18][19][20][33][34][35]. Extractive methods may not only lead to methodological challenges but also act to alienate participants from the scientific process and are often unethical.…”

Section: (B) Community Involvementmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Navigating cross-cultural research: methodological and ethical considerations

et al. 2020

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The intensifying pace of research based on cross-cultural studies in the social sciences necessitates a discussion of the unique challenges of multi-sited research. Given an increasing demand for social scientists to expand their data collection beyond WEIRD (Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic) populations, there is an urgent need for transdisciplinary conversations on the logistical, scientific and ethical considerations inherent to this type of scholarship. As a group of social scientists engaged in cross-cultural research in psychology and anthropology, we hope to guide prospective cross-cultural researchers through some of the complex scientific and ethical challenges involved in such work: (a) study site selection, (b) community involvement and (c) culturally appropriate research methods. We aim to shed light on some of the difficult ethical quandaries of this type of research. Our recommendation emphasizes a community-centred approach, in which the desires of the community regarding research approach and methodology, community involvement, results communication and distribution, and data sharing are held in the highest regard by the researchers. We argue that such considerations are central to scientific rigour and the foundation of the study of human behaviour.

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Section: (A) Study Site Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: (B) Community Involvementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Navigating cross-cultural research: methodological and ethical considerations

et al. 2020

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“…This article builds on a previous version that focused mostly on the experience of researchers in Latin America (Kennemore and Postero 2020). In this article, we expand our argument to incorporate more fully the rich experience of Māori researchers and their collaborators, and the developing model of Indigenous research known as "kaupapa paradigm" that emerges from Te Ao Māori (the Māori world) (L. T. Smith 1999a and1999b;George 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Reflections on Collaborative Ethnography and Decolonization in Latin America, Aotearoa, and Beyond

Kennemore

Postero

2020

Self Cite

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As the ongoing legacies of colonialism are challenged, scholars and activists are increasingly carrying out collaborative research to respond to the asymmetrical privileges built into Western science by partnering with communities and explicitly orienting their research towards communities’ political aims. In this article, we trace the ways this shift intersects with other important trends in ethnographic research, especially attention to the politics of knowledge and decolonization. We discuss how collaborative research in Latin America is shaped by the context and political agendas of those involved to show what is produced. While in some circumstances collaboration can serve to level the colonial playing field by making Indigenous knowledge and practices visible, in other situations it can reinforce constructed dichotomies between Indigenous and Western knowledge and practices. As it increasingly the norm for government agencies, academic institutions, and non-governmental organizations to promote participatory methods to further their own agendas, we suggest that collaboration can be the site of governance as well as liberation. By bringing the dilemmas in our different research projects on Indigenous politics in Bolivia into dialogue with critical engagements from Indigenous scholars in Aotearoa and decolonial thinkers globally, we urge careful analysis of the multiple and changing standpoints of our collaborators in order not to re-construct essentialized notions of Indigeneity. Ultimately, we see the need to acknowledge the tight spaces of negotiation that we all find ourselves drawn into when we undertake collaborative endeavours.

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“…These relationships are often complicated by power differentials due to unequal access to wealth, education, and historical legacies of colonization (14 -17). As such, it is important that investigators are alert to the possible bias among individuals who initially interact with researchers, to the potential negative consequences for those excluded, and to the (often unspoken) power dynamics between the researcher and their study participants (as well as among and between study participants) (29,(30)(31)(32).…”

Section: Study Site Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Too often researchers engage in "extractive" research, whereby a researcher selects a study community and collects the necessary data to exclusively further their own scientific and/or professional goals without benefiting the community. This reflects a long history of colonialism in social science (14)(15)(16)(17)(30)(31)(32). Extractive methods may not only lead to methodological challenges, but also act to alienate participants from the scientific process and are often unethical.…”

Section: Community Involvementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Navigating cross-cultural research: methodological and ethical considerations

Broesch¹,

Crittenden²,

Beheim³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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The intensifying pace of research based on cross-cultural studies in the social sciences necessitates a discussion of the unique challenges of multi-sited research. Given an increasing demand for social scientists to expand their data collection beyond WEIRD (western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic) populations, there is an urgent need for transdisciplinary conversations on the logistical, scientific, and ethical considerations inherent of this kind of scholarship. As a group of social scientists engaged in cross-cultural research in psychology and anthropology, we guide prospective cross-cultural researchers through some of the complex scientific and ethical challenges involved in this type of work. Such challenges involve (a) study site selection, (b) culturally appropriate research methods, and (c) community involvement. We aim to shed light on some of the difficult ethical quandaries inherent in of this type of high-profile research. Our recommendation emphasizes a community-centered approach, in which the desires of the community regarding research methodology, community involvement, results distribution, and data sharing are held in highest regard by the researchers.

show abstract

Collaborative ethnographic methods: dismantling the ‘anthropological broom closet’?

Cited by 13 publications

References 31 publications

Navigating cross-cultural research: methodological and ethical considerations

Navigating cross-cultural research: methodological and ethical considerations

Reflections on Collaborative Ethnography and Decolonization in Latin America, Aotearoa, and Beyond

Navigating cross-cultural research: methodological and ethical considerations

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