WhenThe Hood Is ‘Hot’: Ethnographer Safety and Research Ethics Board Concerns During Episodes of Gun Violence

• In Event: New Vistas for Qualitative Research

Abstract

The literature on urban ethnography has explored the various risks associated with ethnographic research, particularly in regards to criminological fieldwork. Research ethics boards have responded to the higher potential for risk of urban ethnography, often imposing strict guidelines for ethnographers prior to granting research approval. Accordingly, before entering the field, ethnographers must give substantial consideration to potential risks for themselves or participants, and once in the field, have developed various ways to mitigate these hazards. Sometimes however, fieldsites may undergo extreme changes in their level of safety,
requiring an immediate reassessment of dangers associated with the research, not only on the researcher’s behalf, but also on behalf of the research ethics board. Ethnographic research in Canada’s oldest and largest social housing project—Regent Park—during a period of neighbourhood redevelopment and amidst a flurry of gun violence, illuminates the challenges faced by both parties in assessing, and responding to, an increased risk of violence. In particular, experiences from the field problematize the protective function of research ethics boards, and raise concerns about their role in research constraint.

Author

• Marta-Marika Urbanik, University of Alberta