Ethical and Epistemological Implications of Conducting Ethnographic Fieldwork as a Researcher-cum-Clinician in Brussels, Belgium

Bibliographic Data

ID4564467
AuthorsDirk Lafaut (0000-0002-2109-2974, Department of History, Archeology, Arts, Philosophy and Ethics, Free University Brussels, Brussels, Belgium), Lisa Dikomitis (0000-0002-5752-3270, University of Kent, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume43
Issue6
Pages538-552
Publication date2024-08-17
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueMedical Anthropology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0145-9740 • E-ISSN: 1545-5882
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/01459740.2024.2386583
OpenAlexW4401386433
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited43

We draw on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Brussels (Belgium) on the health care experiences of undocumented migrants. We explore the implications of the double position of the ethnographer, who is both a researcher and a practicing doctor. We describe how the intimate knowledge the ethnographer-cum-clinician holds about the health care system influenced and shaped the data collection, analysis and subsequent policy recommendations. We examine the ethical dilemmas in conducting research from an engaged position about care practices toward vulnerable populations in one’s own professional field. We conclude with recommendations on how to challenge and interrupt complexities faced by multi-positioned ethnographers

Ethnography · Field (mathematics · Health care · Participant observation · Political science · Position (finance · Social science · Sociology · Anthropology · Law · Medicine · Migration, Health and Trauma · Migration, Identity, and Health · Nursing · Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics