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9. Ethnographic Fieldwork on Sexual Behavior: Developing Ethical Guidelines for Native Researchers
- University Press of Florida
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9 Ethnographic Fieldwork on Sexual Behavior Developing Ethical Guidelines for Native Researchers Marcelo Montes Penha, Michele G. Shedlin, Carol A. Reisen, Paul J. Poppen, Fernanda T. Bianchi, Carlos U. Decena, and Maria Cecilia Zea In conducting ethnographic research, it is important that fieldworkers have ethical guidelines to provide direction concerning ethical standards, professional conduct, and methods of obtaining high-quality data. This chapter addresses issues that we faced in developing guidelines for ethnographic fieldwork on sexual behavior among Latino men who have sex with men (MSM). Ethnographic observations were conducted as part of a larger study concerning contextual influences on sexual risk among Brazilian, Colombian , and Dominican MSM in the New York metropolitan area. Gay-identified Latino fieldworkers carried out participant observation in venues where Latino men went to socialize and to find sex partners. Existing guidelines from professional organizations did not adequately address the unique and special conditions that these fieldworkers faced. Therefore, we set out to create our own. The Need for Ethical Guidelines Davidson and Layder (1994: 55–56) define ethics as “an abstract set of standards and principles which social researchers can refer to in order to decide what is appropriate and acceptable conduct.” Ethics concern the responsibility of the researchers to everyone involved in the research, “including sponsors , the general public and most importantly, the subjects of the research” (Davidson and Layder 1994: 55–56). Thus, we viewed ethical conduct of research as encompassing mandates to protect the well-being, integrity, and privacy of human subjects and fieldworkers, as well as to uphold scientific rigor and accuracy. We wanted to generate ethical guidelines that would allow flexibility within ethical boundaries, so that fieldworkers would have 156 / M. Montes Penha et al. reference points for professional conduct in the varied, complex, and unpredictable situations they might encounter in the field. The ethical guidelines were developed in a multistage process that began with reference to existing professional codes of ethics. Members of the research team discussed possible or anticipated situations that could pose ethical dilemmas and generated ideas about appropriate ways of handling them. A preliminary version of the guidelines was created. Initial visits to the field enabled fieldworkers to identify other issues that needed to be addressed . The guidelines were augmented and modified to accommodate these additional issues. Over the course of the ethnographic data collection, we continued a dialogue about ethical concerns and revised the guidelines as necessary. Three issues emerging from the project made the creation of ethical guidelines challenging. First, the research team was comprised of psychologists , anthropologists, and community members—groups having different perspectives on the criteria for the determination of appropriate and ethical behavior in research settings. Second, fieldworkers were participant observers within their own community and therefore were in situations in which they held multiple roles. Third, fieldworkers were observing in venues where partnering for sex was expected. In addition, the research topic was sex, one frequently treated differently from other types of behavioral interactions. In the sections below, we discuss how these three characteristics of the study affected the development of our ethical guidelines. Professional Codes and Guidelines Because the research team included psychologists and anthropologists, we turned initially to the codes of ethics provided by our respective professional organizations: the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Anthropological Association (AAA). Both organizations hold ethical standards requiring professionals to safeguard the well-being of individuals with whom they work, to protect the safety and privacy of individuals with whom they work, and to promote accuracy and honesty in the field. There were, however, notable differences between the organizations in the specific approaches to accomplishing these principles. The field of psychology generally tends toward a positivist approach, with a frequent goal of describing general laws or principles governing behavior. Objective observation is seen as critically important. In contrast, a frequent [52.205.159.48] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 03:04 GMT) Developing Ethical Guidelines for Native Researchers / 157 goal in anthropology is the description of subjective experience and the explanation of underlying meanings of specific behaviors. Relativity is emphasized , and increased challenges to objectivity are recognized as fieldwork extends over time. These philosophical differences are reflected in the professional codes of ethics produced by the two organizations. The APA code lays out regulations concerning appropriate behavior, although it acknowledges that the application of regulations depends to some extent on the situation: The Ethical Standards set forth enforceable rules for conduct as psychologists in varied roles, although the application of...