Forum: Qualitative Social Research (Mar 2016)
Ethical Tensions as Educative Spaces in Narrative Inquiry
Abstract
In "The Human Condition," Hannah ARENDT (1958) calls us to think deeply about our role in relationships, to be mindful of our actions and intentions. In this article, we take up the ethical tensions one of us faced while working alongside women with learning difficulties, who have been involved in the criminal justice system. The narrative inquiry is based on the doctoral research of the first author, who engaged with four women in the living and telling of their experiences. The ethical questions that surfaced were complex, multilayered, and called forth questions of commitment and responsibilities. These tensions are contemplated as educative spaces by the first author and her supervisory committee. In particular, we look at ethical considerations in terms of who we are and are becoming as researchers in relation to participants we work with. Within the ongoing discourse about qualitative research ethics, this article emphasizes the need to think about research relationships as part of an intricate web that connects us all as human beings. URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs1602252
