Hiding or Revealing? Reflections on Doing Ethnography in a field with Potential Identity Conflicts

• In Event: 2351 - Ethnography/Ethnographic Studies

Abstract

This article explores the challenges and opportunities of doing ethnographic work within a field where participants have different ethnic and political identities from the researcher. Based on seventeen months of fieldwork in overseas workplaces, I describe the challenges of identity difference, including the long time it takes to get along with respondents, the potential biases of interpreting data, related ethical issues, and how to cope with likely identity conflicts. These challenges lead to an important question of when and whether to hide or disclose a researcher’s national identity, especially when the researcher and the participants are from different countries with potential conflicts. This article highlights that in addition to those challenges, disclosing identity can be a strategic tool for examining theoretical questions regarding class, identity, and ethnic stereotypes in the employment relationship.

Author

• Yao-Tai Li, Hong Kong Baptist university