Reflection on sensitive fields: CYS researchers in the special issue of INTER journal
The articles of the CYS researchers were published in the March issue of the journal “Interaction. Interview. Interpretation". The issue is dedicated to reflection and rethinking the experience of working in hard-to-reach and “loaded” fields.
Elena Omelchenko, director of the Center for Youth Studies, in collaboration with her colleague from Kazan Federal University Albina Garifzyanova, associate professor of the Department of General and Ethnic Sociology, turned to understanding ethical difficulties in the work "Another time, another place, another us. A retrospective look at the sensitivity of prison research".
The article is devoted to the sensitive aspects of communication between researchers and informants using the example of a retrospective analysis of data from the last stage of a project on the historical and geographical features of modern prison systems affecting the identity and strategies of prisoners from ethnic minorities. Attention is drawn to ethical dilemmas and emotional stress during conversations with women who continue to serve their sentences in one of the correctional centers in Russia. An important element of the analysis is the emphasis on the place/space and time of work in the field, which sets the context for the study of prison stories and survival strategies of prisoners. A retrospective analysis of four interviews revealed several strategies for overcoming the emotional stress of conversations: from condemnation to increased support, from neutralizing one's own emotions to complete, sometimes inappropriate involvement. These discussions are complemented by a critical look at the ethical dilemmas and dead ends faced by sociologists in this extremely complex field.
Nina Skorokhodova, a research intern at the Center for Youth Studies, in her article "The Sensitivity of the Familiar field: the similarity of experience and the limits of objectivity in a biographical interview", addresses the sensitivity of the sociological field, which arises not as a result of its traumatism, closeness or ethical danger, but from the similarity of the life experience of the researcher and the informant.
Based on the material of the biographical interview, the researcher examines how proximity to the field and the informant (age, biographical and contextual) transforms the research situation, blurring the boundaries between understanding and interpretation, empathy and methodological participation. It demonstrates how the researcher's familiarity with the field contributes to the reproduction of a socially approved narrative, in particular the figure of the "right" subject of mobility. The article also notes that in situations of similar experience, methodological tools turn from a fixed set of questions into a context-sensitive element of research practice. The author pays special attention to the interviewer's reflexive position and the risks to the objectivity of the data that arise when working with "simple" and familiar fields. It is proposed to consider the similarity of experience as an independent source of sensitivity and emphasizes the need for methodological reflection aimed not only at protecting the informant, but also at realizing research responsibility in situations of proximity to the field under study.
Центр молодежных исследований: Стажер-исследователь
The idea for the article was born in discussions with colleagues: while studying for a master's degree and working at the Center. That's its' greatest value, really. It was great to work with the editorial staff of INTER magazine. Back in our undergraduate years, we reviewed methodological articles published in it during seminars. Many of the developments from INTER have shaped my skills in collecting and processing data for research.
Both materials are written in Russian. You can check out the articles via links in the text.
