Negotiated Ethics

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Dr Rochelle Stewart-Withers. Sharon Bell (PhD Candidate). Institute of Development Studies. School People, Environment and Planning. Negotiated Ethics: ...
Negotiated Ethics: Using Social & Visual Technology in Newly Post-Conflict and /or Fragile State Fieldwork Dr Rochelle Stewart-Withers Sharon Bell (PhD Candidate) Institute of Development Studies School People, Environment and Planning

Outline of talk Ethical considerations arising from a changing world – what could be the impact, for them; for us; for ethics • Coalescing of various concerns: Messiness and Change • Background to discipline and research space and ethics as we understand it • Principles • Case study : Shan State – background; negotiated ethics; ideas; solutions • Concluding remarks

Our messy - changing world

Changing ICT landscape

Research with Complex topics; Dynamics settings

Diversity Disciplines; Knowledges; Ontologies Epistemologies; Methodologies Methods

Political

Social movement Activism Empowerment Participation Partnership

Ethics in practice; Real ethics; Personal ethics; Culture as ethics

Emerging body of knowledge about ICT -research ethics nexus

Supposedly vulnerable participants Children The very poor Marginalized Illegal persons

ICT Social Media Visual recordings Real Time Blogs

Often highly politicized research environments

Ethics Autonomy Justice Beneficence Non-malifecence Relationships Rights - Consent– Privacy–Confidentiality

Backtrack: Development Studies

Fieldwork may be defined as becoming involved in th of a people in order to learn about them so that one something with the knowledge.

We think of ethics as

• In terms of procedural and while in the field. (Before, during, after). Could also be seen as institutional ethics and personal ethics • Western notions of what constitutes ethical practice verses cultural notions of ethics • Ie conflict of interest vs relationships and obligations

Shameless self promotion if you want to understand ethical challenges in Development Fieldwork a little better see: Stewart-Withers, R. (2016). Edge walking ethics. NZ Sociology: Special Issue- Ethics in Practice, 31(4), 28-42.

Where and with whom

Ethics from the bottom up

• Consider local needs/concerns when identifying research topic • Show respect for the knowledge and traditions of the communities we work with • Following research protocols in the country concerned, and cultural protocols on permission from communities • Building mutually beneficial relationships with people we meet • Acting in a sensitive and respectful manner • Ensuring that our research is of value to those who give up their time to participate in our studies • Sharing the findings of our research with our participants in an accessible manner, and allowing for dialogue or feedback

Principles Autonomy

To what extent will doing/allowing this research enable others freely , as individuals and as a group to decide to participate, according to their own beliefs and values? Harm To what extent will doing/allowing this research risk, support or create harm? Benefit To what extent will doing/allowing this research create, support or make likely benefits? Justice To what extent will the benefits and burdens of this research be fairly distributed? Special relationships To what extent would doing/allowing this research honour the ethical norms generated by the special relationships the researcher stands in?

Research context

Negotiated ethics: Some examples

• Tell people my story: relationships and obligations • Virtual friends – like for a like • Privacy and confidentiality: This is my house, my space and my story (who decides)

Solutions • Fluidity of the private public sphere (de-stablising this binary) • Fabrication as ethical practice • Co-construction of findings • Application of principles: Paternalism vs agency

Ideas • Building the body of knowledge - publishing on ethical dilemmas, ethics in practice, real ethics • Reciprocal relationship between ERC and Researchers • Valuing open ERC meetings – ERC emulating the same values and behaviours expected from researchers • Principles approach rather than rules • High trust – deep consideration • Being open to new possibilities – when working with innovation one must work innovatively

Concluding remarks

Research ethics in an age of advancing technology and innovation – if we are to managing the ‘ever changing’ we will need to consider ethics to be about

Negotiated

Relationships

Change

Means Ends

Principled