Paper short abstract:

I research the narratives around a ritual impurity (nidda) in Judaism. During menstruation a married woman and her husband are expected to sleep separately, cannot touch each other in any way or pass objects. I conduct digital discourse analysis in a couple of women’s Jewish Facebook groups.

Paper long abstract:

I research the narratives around a ritual impurity (nidda) in Judaism. According to Jewish law, a married woman becomes impure once she starts her menstruation. During the time of menstruation plus an additional seven so-called “clean days”, she and her husband are expected to sleep separately, cannot touch each other in any way or pass objects. After the period of separation, a woman should immerse herself in a ritual bath – mikvah – after which she is perceived as ritually clean and can be available for sexual relationships.

My research was supposed to benefit from traditional fieldwork among Modern Orthodox Jewish women, as well as digital ethnography. I was supposed to conduct a feminist critical discourse analysis of the narratives of nidda and mikvah. Due to the current situation, all of my field trips to the USA and Israel were canceled. I had to look for a new methodological approach that would enable me to continue the research.

At the moment, I conduct digital discourse analysis in a couple of women’s Jewish Facebook groups. Additionally, I decided to create an anonymous questionnaire online, which is not traditionally used by anthropologists, but given the current situation, it’s one of only a few tools available.

I would like to describe the sensitivity of researching such an intimate phenomenon online; What freedoms and limitations do digital ethnography offer? I would like to share the struggles over the ethical issues regarding the digital fieldwork and well as some practical suggestions I personally considered.