Anger and Compassion on the Picket Line: Ethnography and Emotion in the Study of Westboro Baptist Church

Abstract

Feminist ethnographic methods stress the role of empathy for research subjects and researchers' willingness for their work to be useful to their subjects. When the research subjects are "unloved groups," though-people whose actions or beliefs are hateful or harmful-some ethnographers argue that such empathy and empowerment is misplaced or leads to uncritical scholarship. In this reflection on the author's ethnographic study of Westboro Baptist Church, a small Kansas-based congregation infamous for preaching its anti-gay theology at funerals, including the funerals of fallen servicemen and -women, she questions the usefulness of denying an emotional connection with "hatemongers." Instead, she argues for compassion for both the victims and, more challengingly, the perpetrators of hate in order to protect researchers from the threat of desensitization. 11

The maroon boxer briefs: exploring erotic reflexivity in interview research

“…Of particular relevance are works in which embodiment is discussed in relation to the fieldwork and interview setting (see Cherry, 1996; Kiensinger, 1998; Tillmann, 2015). Most frequently, embodiment is used to highlight negative affect: Barrett-Fox (2011) talks about her struggles to conduct research among members of the Westboro Baptist Church and Kiensinger (1998) uses embodiment to complement the narrative of an interview about bulimia and abuse. Others, such as Kleinman and Copp (1993) and Emerald and Carpenter (2015), have talked about the effects of fieldwork on their health.…”

“We Need Something Different”

“…Another study of social controls (Baker et al 2015) focused on the Church’s desecration of symbols and transgression of boundaries. In ethnographic research, Barrett‐Fox wrestled with her relationship with the Church, seeing “empathy as a tool to achieve [comprehension]” and reflected on how, by feeling the pain of WBC’s targets, she was increasing her “capacity to care more for Westboro Baptists” (2011, 28).…”

“…In general, the methodology only supplements other types of evidence. When dealing with radical groups, there is concern that researchers could compromise their integrity, circulate unethical ideas, or become desensitized to problematic conduct (Blee 1993, 1998; Barrett‐Fox 2011). For WBC specifically, the methodology is limited because the church, while quite hospitable, does constrain outsider access.…”

“…Nonetheless, it can be challenging to see the world through the eyes of another, particularly an oppositional Other who is reportedly hating and hated (Aho 1994, 174). Ethnographic encounters challenge a researcher’s mindset and emotional life (Blee 1993, 1998; Barrett‐Fox 2011). Nonjudgmental listening challenges scholars to risk changing themselves and their circles, to find ways to make extremist conduct intelligible and emotionally accessible (Oxley 2011, 38, 48–49).…”

Surveying political extremists

“…In practice, researchers have tended to study members (Barrett-Fox, 2011;Blee, 1999;2003;Ezekiel, 2002;Van Hiel, Duriez, & Kossowska, 2006) or former members (Almond, 1954;Ernst & Loth, 1952;Kimmel, 2007) of political groups more frequently, perhaps because of the common assumption that organizational membership is a strong reflection of personal values and beliefs and also because of convenience. In practice, researchers have tended to study members (Barrett-Fox, 2011;Blee, 1999;2003;Ezekiel, 2002;Van Hiel, Duriez, & Kossowska, 2006) or former members (Almond, 1954;Ernst & Loth, 1952;Kimmel, 2007) of political groups more frequently, perhaps because of the common assumption that organizational membership is a strong reflection of personal values and beliefs and also because of convenience.…”