NGO-Research Collaborations and Conflicts

Abstract

Ethnographers collaborating with NGOs and non-profits while simultaneously researching their organizational structure, practices, and beliefs about service, advocacy, and activism face myriad challenges. However, collaboration – as it exists in a dialectical relationship between stakeholders working towards common goals – may also generate ethnographic insights that add to anthropological knowledge of NGOs. According to Lassiter (2005a, 2005b), researchers undertaking collaborative ethnography have four commitments: (1) ethical responsibilities to stakeholders; (2) honesty/transparency about research; (3) accessible writing; and (4) collaborative reading, writing, and interpretation. Collaborations may be interrupted at various points, but especially where bureaucratic structures and operations intervene. For example, agreements and documentation (e.g., memoranda of understanding, or MOUs) often challenge the interests and affect of collaborative work. In this article I draw on five years of collaborative NGOgraphy, Lassiter’s conceptualization of collaborative ethnography, and respond to Hymes’ (1972) call for a personal ethnography, in order to discuss the challenges and opportunities of NGO-researcher collaboration.

Digitally shaped ethnographic relationships during a global pandemic and beyond

“…Town hall meetings additionally provided opportunities to interact with survivors and observe interactions among survivors, recovery organizations, and public officials. These approaches often fit collaborative research frameworks that prioritize partnership with organizations, research participants, or other community entities throughout the research process (Reinke, 2019). Ethnography at a distance does not afford for these types of interactions, creating a need to rethink ethnographic relationship building as COVID-19 responses throughout the United States shifted the nature of public gatherings, moving many to virtual platforms.…”