Paper Short Abstract:

Field researches involving sensitive topics or the most vulnerable groups of people require particularly careful preparation and assessment of possible ethical risks and communication failures already at the planning stage of the interview strategy. The success of communication in the field depends on the researcher’s ability to adapt his communication strategies and method of collecting information to the mental and cultural characteristics of the informant.

Paper Abstract:

Many countries have developed Codes of Research Ethics that require respect for the personal dignity of an informant, his privacy and rights, as well as protection from possible harm. All possible ethical risks and shortcomings should be assessed by the researcher in advance during the planning stage of the interview strategy. Field research involving sensitive topics or the most vulnerable groups of people requires particularly careful preparation.

The presentation examines the ethically complex situations we encountered during fieldwork in Finland, Norway, Georgia and Russia. It is based on our interviews on sensitive topics such as menstruation, abortion, sexual customs, sacred ritual sites of the Sami people, interviews with practicing healers about the “professional requirements” and with former prisoners about prison culture and their prison experience. Each nation has its own mentality, cultural characteristics and historical memory, which should be taken into account when building communication bridges. Trust-building techniques that work in some countries do not necessarily work in others. Our goal is to assess the possible ethical risks that may arise in working with an informant, compare factors that may affect the relationship between researcher and informant in different cultures, identify and adjust communication strategies and methods of collecting material depending on cultural characteristics, and also share our experience in solving ethical problems.