Responsible Scholarship After Leaving the Veranda: Normative Issues Faced by Field Researchers-and Armchair Scientists
Journal
International Political Sociology
ISSN
1749-5679
ISSN-Digital
1749-5687
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2008-09
Author(s)
Abstract
The article deals with the normative lessons that political scientists can learn from ethnology's experiences with ethnography. Ethnographic methods like participant observation differ significantly from other methods since they explicitly blur the boundary between theory and practice; this blurring requires researchers to carefully evaluate their conflicting responsibilities to the people studied, to the scientific community, and to themselves. Many of the insights generated in ethnology are relevant for political scientists, too, especially for those political scientists who are prepared to "leave the veranda" and want to put ethnographic methods to use, but also for those who prefer to remain in the position of an "armchair" researcher.
Language
English
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
Yes
Publisher
Blackwell
Publisher place
Malden, Mass. [u.a.]
Volume
2
Number
3
Start page
185
End page
203
Pages
19
Subject(s)
Eprints ID
46812