Social anthropology in sensitive research contexts. A case study
State prisons, Province of Neuquen, Argentina
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8973965 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Beatriz Kalinsky (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2004 |
| Volume | 56 |
| Issue | 179 |
| Pages | 4-5 |
| Publication date | 2004-03-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Social Science Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0020-8701 • E-ISSN: 1468-2451 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.0020-8701.2004.470_10.x |
| OpenAlex | W2100321125, W4243006456 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 11 |
This paper discusses some of the methodological and ethical problems entailed by social research, specifically anthropology, in State prisons in the Province of Neuquén, Argentina. Traditional anthropological research methodology has to be combined with a range of additional precautions because this is a sensitive field for research where a balance (almost always an unstable one) must be struck among the different actors involved: inmates, warders, the authorities, members of the judiciary and inmates' families. Particular account needs to be taken of the relations among inmates, and between these and their warders, to ensure that existing strains are not exacerbated. At the same time it is important not to take sides, since the aim is to sustain as cordial and open a dialogue as possible with all parties. This does not mean, however, that the social researcher is prevented from taking an ethical stance towards crimes, non-observance of inmates' rights, or outright, repeated violations of these rights. This is a field of conflict where researchers have to mark out a position of their own, remaining independent of the actors involved while keeping channels of communication open so that the research can be carried forward
Citation · Criminology · Field (mathematics · Field research · Library science · Political science · Position (finance · Social science · Sociology · State (computer science · Anthropology · Computer Science · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Healthcare Decision-Making and Restraints · Homelessness and Social Issues · Law · Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending
The Interpretation of Cultures
Punishing Violence
Rehabilitation as Rhetoric
Death and the Triumph of Governance
Reassessing Resistance
Appreciative Inquiry and Relationships in Prison
Beyond `Gulags Western Style
Prison Officers, Policing and the Use of Discretion
Gender and Crime
Toward an Anthropology of Prisons
| Highly cited | No |
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