Dissertation
Community-graced research: The ethics of ethnographic crossings
Washington State University
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
05/2009
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000005965
Abstract
The thoughts, reflections, and analyses in this work are intended to further inform those who are interested in exploring vulnerability and change, ethics and politics, and who are above all interested in the political conundrums that accompany crossing into spaces that are not our own. At the time of this writing, there was not a universal, agreed upon protocol for the inspection and critique of the "researcher persona". Although, policies are in place to protect those described and labeled as "vulnerable", (Internal Review Boards); these same policies do not demand the researchers participate in a reciprocal exposure -- that of processing and making known their own histories and vulnerabilities through a public disclosure experience as intrusive and intensive as those which purport to describe the "researched". This dissertation work, in part, argues for a individualized research pre-process, one that includes a "reciprocal storytelling", a dialogical process through which the researcher and the researched recognize and acknowledge the "elephant in the room"--The clash of motive, intent, bias, authority, respect, disclosure and cultural representation. This, I argue, is only possible if we examine the privilege and power structures inextricably linked to the institutional research process and humbly bestow that same privilege and power upon community processes. In other words, dismantle structures of privilege, particularly ones that tout and promote the binary of "expert/novice". Although Participatory Action Research, or Participatory Community Research is usually driven by a combination of researcher and community need, and the agenda is agreed upon by both parties prior to an "ethnographic crossing", commonly, the researcher still directs the project and the community participants and their accompanying processes still remain the object of study. The main point of this work is to remind us that we remain accountable for all that transpires before, during, and long after we leave communities that are not our own. Research is not a linear process. On the ground, trickster tracks us -- circling back to critique, complicate, and challenge our claims. In the air, condors circle---viewing the remnants of what we have left behind
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Details
- Title
- Community-graced research
- Creators
- Winona M. Wynn
- Contributors
- C. Richard King (Chair)Joan Burbick (Committee Member) - Washington State University, Department of EnglishThomas Vernon Reed (Committee Member) - Washington State University, Department of English
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Department of Critical Culture, Gender, and Race Studies
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 172
- Identifiers
- 99901055031501842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation