Ethics in intercultural research: reflections on the challenges of conducting field research in a Syrian context

Abstract

This paper examines the experiences of two British students conducting doctoral fieldwork in Damascus, Syria. The cross-cultural nature of their work provides an opportunity to examine some of the assumptions which underlie specific principles of research governance in the UK such as anonymity, confidentiality and informed consent. Culturally variant understandings of notions such as privacy and permission-giving are explored, and the implications for social science research are discussed. Their experiences highlight the importance of understanding what constitutes locally acceptable research, and the concept of gatekeepers is critically examined. It is suggested that researchers are often ill-prepared for the complexities they may encounter in the process of gaining access, which often relies heavily on relational trust-building. The effect of power differentials on ethical procedures is explored, and the need to recognise the risk of both participant and researcher disempowerment is highlighted.

Keywords:

• ethics
• intercultural research
• Syria
• gaining access
• power
• gatekeepers
• trust

Notes

1. All our proposals to the university were submitted in Arabic and we conducted most of our conversations in Arabic, except, notably, with the IR Director, who had fluent English.

2. This describes the situation in Syria at the time of the research. March 2011 saw the start of a revolution, which, at the time of writing, has not reached a conclusion, but will most likely result in significant social and political change.