Paper short abstract:

Relationships in fieldwork require a respectful, continuous management of expectations, and sensitivities to personal frames of reference. This paper is a reflexive account of fieldwork with Pentecostal Nigerians in Dublin.

Paper long abstract:

Shortly after the break up of my long term relationship, the Pastor of the parish in which I conducted most of my MA fieldwork, suggested I read the Proverbs passage "The Virtuous Wife". He proposed, perhaps this would help me find a husband. My initial internal reaction was certainly not one of grateful appreciation, however my outer anthropologist curtsied the "Nigerian" way and offered my thanks through a painful smile. This is a reflexive paper about conflicting personal dialogue and the complex nature of relationships built in the field. It highlights many of the messy moral entanglements of my fieldwork experience with Pentecostal Nigerians from the Redeemed Christian Church of God in Dublin. The paper explores the complexities of respectfully and honestly negotiating fundamental differences between myself and my research participants in terms of religious, cultural and social frames of reference. Drawing on my experience of fieldwork in the emotionally charged context of Pentecostalism, I argue that particularly in fieldwork with religious communities, the moral boundaries between researcher and participants are sharpened and this is often personally challenging for the researcher.

Keywords: Fieldwork in religion, Pentecostalism, Moral Relativism

Paper short abstract:

This paper engages anthropology and philosophy of social science by asking how uniquely anthropological approaches to the study of political violence contribute to or constrain the actualisation of the emancipatory aims of anthropologists in relation to philosophical ontologies of social change.

Paper long abstract:

As debates surrounding the status of anthropology as either an objective science or politically-engaged, moral enterprise continue to unfold, scholars examining the phenomenon of state terror and political violence remain adamant about their position as 'political advocates' for the oppressed (Scheper-Hughes 2004:3). Following Linda Green (1995), Jeffrey Sluka considers the construction of 'sites of resistance' and 'acts of solidarity' via ethnography as a central means for 'writing against terror' (2000:ix). Similarly, others argue for a shift towards a more emancipatory or liberation anthropology by maintaining the notion that 'neutrality is not an option' (Scheper-Hughes and Falla in Sluka 2000:20), and that the primary endeavour of anthropology should be to critique Western (capitalist) culture (Taussig 1980). For anthropologists, violence appears as a dichotomous, complex phenomena often constituted by a continuum or spectrum of experiences; hence, by considering the physical, symbolic, and structural configurations of violence, anthropological theories in this domain vary widely in their focus and scope. Drawing on my current master's thesis, this presentation will examine some of the ontological presuppositions that are attributes of a uniquely anthropological approach to understanding, explaining, and resisting state violence. Furthermore, I will address questions surrounding how this 'uniqueness' has the potential to constrain or contribute to the actualisation of the emancipatory aims held by anthropologists concerned with political violence and state terror.

Paper short abstract:

This paper will discuss research I am currently undertaking with Aboriginal people in Victoria on culture today. I will explore the moral dimensions of conducting this research as well as some of the emerging themes.

Paper long abstract:

This paper will discuss my qualitative research with Aboriginal people across several locations in Victoria. The aim of which is to describe a range of meanings the term 'culture' holds for Aboriginal people today and how cultural values and practices are passed on to younger generations.

I am currently undertaking this research, which consists of interviews and participant observation at public events. I will explore the emerging themes in the research data of the relationships between identity, time and space; notions of similarity and difference; and the significance of everyday practices and expressions of culture. A focus on mundane culture can lead to uncomfortable interactions in which moralities are negotiated. I suggest that such encounters, which ethics processes seek to control, can provide valuable insight into the spaces between binaries such as continuity/change and similarity/difference.

I will also discuss the goal of this research, which is to be applicable to the field of native title as a resource for Aboriginal people in the more intensely urbanised areas of South-Eastern Australia to demonstrate the continuity of their rights and interests in land. This will include exploring the moral dimensions of conducting anthropological research with people keenly aware of the colonial entanglement of anthropologists and sceptical of our more recent roles in 'helping' and in judging cultural authenticity.

Paper short abstract:

Buen Vivir is argued in academia and politics as a community-based Latin American alternative to development. The extractivism that historically underpins Latin America's development challenges community values. In the face of this adversity the aims of Buen Vivir are contradicted and challenged.

Paper long abstract:

Buen Vivir is a holistic and biocentric alternative to development arisen from Indigenous worldviews, which emphasizes the importance of the role of nature in wellbeing. It rejects economic growth as an indicator of wellbeing and instead focuses on the importance of the nature-society continuum to achieving holistic wellbeing and sustainability. Extractive activities that underlie the region's development to date however are argued both in the literature and by communities to be antithetic to the achievement of Buen Vivir. What does this then mean to the communities impacted by the encroachment of extractive activities on their territory? How are their worldviews and livelihoods challenged by these real or perceived impacts? To explore these issues, I conducted a short-term ethnographic study in the Ecuador's Cotacachi Canton to examine the various definitions and deep social understandings of Buen Vivir on the ground within the context of extractivism. Cotacachi has a history of mining resistance, and has been declared to be Latin America's first 'Ecological County'. It is also home to Intag, one of world's most biologically rich and diverse regions. In parts of the county mining has already posed moral dilemmas to practices of Buen Vivir, and is threatening to infiltrate more communities in the region. The study seeks to analyse the tensions between various actors (communities, government and community organisations) in the context of extractivism and examine the challenges that extractive activities pose or are perceived to pose on the attainment of Buen Vivir.