Deception as a moral project: Covert research and the construction of the ethical-self

Tarrabain, Chloe

Abstract

In this chapter, the author explores the ethical continuum through a reflection on her own “identity work” during her fieldwork, considering how the ethics of doing covert research are always complex, situated and political. She considers how the power dynamics within the organization are closely interlaced with the extent of her non-disclosure and her closeness to the research participants. Drawing on the concept of reflexive ethics, the author considers how her own process of becoming an ethical researcher is embedded in the research process itself, thus her identity and ethics are co-constructed through research practice. The ethical conduct of a researcher is an inescapable and integral part of research practice. Labelling covert research as unethical is reductive of the complexity of the social world and urges a move towards ethics that are located in the context of the research.

• Online Publication Date: Feb 17, 2023
• Publication Date: Feb 18, 2022
• Deposit Date: Mar 13, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 19, 2023
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
• Pages: 115-126
• Edition: 1st
• Book Title: Organisational Ethnography: An Experiential and Practical Guide
• Chapter Number: 8
• ISBN: 9780367898670; 9780367898687
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/10550441
• Publisher URL: https://www.routledge.com/Organizational-Ethnography-An-Experiential-and-Practical-Guide/Pandeli-Sutherland-Gaggiotti/p/book/9780367898687