Engaging Ethics in Postcritical Ethnography: Troubling Transparency, Trustworthiness, and Advocacy

• In Event: 34.040 - Reenvisioning the Potentials of Qualitative Research Approaches

Abstract

In this paper, we engage with some of the ethical challenges we faced during a four-year postcritical ethnography that focused on the resettlement experiences of Burundians with refugee status living in southern Appalachia in the US. We discuss how we navigated decisions about how to share all that we learned, particularly as we sought to protect and honor what participants shared. Broadly, we frame our decision-making process in relation to the notions of ethics in practice and relational ethics. We complicate commitments to transparency, trustworthiness, and advocacy, as we examine issues of responsibility and representation.

Authors

• Jessica Nina Lester, Indiana University

• Allison Daniel Anders, University of South Carolina