Vulnerable Research: Competencies for Trauma and Justice-Informed Ethnography

Abstract

Ethnographers often work with individuals who are physically, psychologically, spiritually, and/or structurally vulnerable. The article introduces six competencies for ethnographers to be trained in and assessed on to ensure their research is trauma and justice-informed. The author builds from her own research experiences, current methodological approaches to qualitative inquiry, and an integration of sociology and psychology to detail these competencies and provide tools for training and assessment. The competencies include the following: (a) self-awareness; (b) participant-centered approach; (c) recognition of social location; (d) attention to trauma; (e) knowledge of professional limits; and (f) effective boundaries and self-care. The six competencies and Action-reflection course outlined in the article are designed to support researchers in attending to how their personal histories, embodied states, and power dynamics shape the research endeavor, as well as, learn skills for healthy boundary-keeping, risk assessment, and steps to minimize participant (re)traumatization. Although these competencies are essential for work with disempowered populations, they are beneficial for all qualitative researchers to ensure both personal and participant safety.

Women leaders' work-caused trauma: vulnerability, reflexivity and emotional challenges for the researcher

“…The women leaders have experienced trauma and are likely to experience residual vulnerability (Valent, 2012). In outlining competencies for trauma research, Winfield (2022, p. 3) conceptualises vulnerability as “diminished autonomy, a lack of power, limited agency or capacity to function due to physiological, psychological, spiritual, and/or structural factors (Liamputtong 2007; Moore and Miller 1999; Silva 1995)”. This understanding of vulnerability reflects an impaired lack of agency.…”

Trauma experienced by researchers: challenges and recommendations to support students and junior scholars

“…Many scholars use the terminology of sensitive (Bahn and Weatherill, 2013; Dickson-Swift et al. , 2007 Hanna, 2019) or vulnerable (Aldridge, 2014; Winfield, 2021) when describing certain types of data, research, and populations. Although the definitions of these types of data and populations vary, the most common way of contextualizing these concepts is in relation to the risk that the participants face (Bahn and Weatherill, 2013).…”

“…These conceptualizations define the spaces and populations in which trauma is presumed to occur. For example, scholarship tends to focus on situations in which primary trauma occurs, meaning environments where the researchers and/or respondents are exposed to physical harm (Winfield, 2021). Thus, if the research is not taking place in a risky environment, the research can often be considered non-traumatic (Bahn and Weatherill, 2013).…”

“…Additionally, police officers are rarely considered a vulnerable population, thus existing literature addressing sensitive and vulnerable research (Aldridge, 2014; Bahn and Weatherill, 2013; Dickson-Swift et al. , 2007; Hanna, 2019; Winfield, 2021) does not prepare researchers that talking to police officers or transcribing interviews with police officers could generate traumatic experiences for the researcher. For example, the researcher may first listen to officers discuss rapes or violent crime encountered on the job, then the researcher must minute-by-minute transcribe these vivid first-hand accounts, potentially producing substantial researcher trauma.…”

From Nativeness to Strangeness and Back: Ascribed Ethnicity, Body Work, and Contextual Insiderness

“…However, this is related to the perpetuation of the tendency to privilege ethnicity and ignore other factors that may have a greater impact on what is happening in the field (Anthias 2008; Schiller, Çaglar, and Guldbrandsen 2006; Wimmer and Glick Schiller 2002). In recent years researchers have proposed inspiring studies on positionality, modelled by, for example, gender, race, being an “insider within,” vulnerability and trauma, or the material side of fieldwork (Bucerius 2013; Bucerius and Urbanik 2019; Laube 2021; Mazzei and O’Brien 2009; McKinnon-Crowley 2020; McQueenay 2013; Meadow 2013; Thibault 2021; Winfield 2021). Also, in the case of reflexive migration studies, the positioning of the researcher as an important ethical and methodological problem is gaining attention, although on a small scale and only in the last few years.…”