Ethics in Ethnography

Margaret D. LeCompte is professor emerita of education and sociology at the University of Colorado, Boulder.Jean J. Schensul is founding director and senior scientist at the Institute for Community Research, Hartford, Connecticut.

I highly recommend this book for the introductory-level classroom, but it is also great for professionals. The sample cases throughout the book are especially useful for instruction. Overall, the second edition of the Ethnographer’s Toolkit is perfectly titled for the basic skills it outlines for the novice researcher, as well as providing an appropriate checklist for the more experienced researcher, whether an anthropologist or other professional using ethnography as a major research tool.

• List of ExamplesIntroduction to the Ethnographer’s Toolkit1—Ethics and EthnographyIntroductionWhat Are Ethics?What Are Research Ethics?Ethics in Social Science ResearchWhat Is a Human Subject?Ethics and Epistemology: Do Ethnographers Face GreaterEthical Challenges Than Other Types of Researchers?Confronting the Stereotype of Scientific NeutralityFormal Research Ethics and Everyday Research EthicsSummary2—The Evolution of Formal Concerns about and Ethical Principles Governing Human ResearchThe Origins of Formal OversightMedical Research and Risk to Human SubjectsSocial Science Research and Risks to Human Subjects Disciplinary Codes of Ethics and the Problems of EnforcementThe Belmont Report 1978The Belmont PrinciplesSummary3—Formal and Semiformal ResponsibilitiesIntroductionSemiformal ResponsibilitiesFormal Contractual ResponsibilitiesWhen Is IRB or IEC Approval Necessary?Issues of Particular Concern to IRBs and IECsLevels of ReviewComponents of an IRB ProposalThe Power of Institutional Review Boards and Institutional Ethics CommitteesCoping with Multiple IRBsSummary4—Informal Ethics: The Implications of Researcher Roles and CharacteristicsIntroductionThe Embedded Contexts and Multiple Roles of Ethnographic WorkBeing a LearnerCreating a Field IdentityCoping with Relationships in the Field: Personal Characteristics, Asymmetrical Relationships, and PositionalityPersonal Friendships in the FieldSummary5—Informal Ethics: Long-Term Relationships and Reasonable ResponsibilitiesIntroduction: Feasible and Possible ResponsibilitiesCoping with Associations in the Field: Affiliations and SponsorshipsMaintaining Good RelationshipsCoresearchers and Research PartnersNegotiating an Exit and Leaving the FieldReciprocity and FeedbackDissemination and Disposition of DataAssuring Program ContinuationSummary6—Ethical Issues in Ethnographic Teamwork and Community-Based ResearchIntroductionEthical Considerations in Intrateam InteractionsEthical Considerations in Team Interaction with Study Communities/Sites and ParticipantsProtecting the Study CommunitySummary7— Going Beyond Belmont: New Issues and ChallengesIntroductionChallenges to IRB “Surveillance” and Control Contesting Western Epistemological and Ontological HegemonyRedefining Key Terms in the Twenty-First CenturyObtaining ConsentExposure to Risks and New Forms of VulnerabilityTechnology and Retrievability of InformationEthics and the Consequences of InterpretationSummary8—The Role of Reflection in Ethnographic ResearchIntroduction: What Is Reflection?Identifying SubjectivitiesPositionality and PowerThe Risks of the “Other”Taking StockSummaryAppendix A: IRB ProposalsAppendix B: Consent Forms and Assent FormsReferencesIndexAbout the Authors