Where have all the Fieldnotes Gone? The Changing Nature and Politics of Drugs Ethnography in the Netherlands

Abstract

A critical review of Dutch drugs ethnography over the past two decades addresses the importance of fieldnotes and the influence of the wider policy context on the research process. Three generations of Dutch drugs ethnographers are distinguished. In the work of the first generation, fieldnotes played a primary role in the research process. This value was tied to the policy need to have first-hand knowledge of drug users themselves in order to formulate policy. The second generation created an equal partnership between qualitative and quantitative research to serve the needs of the consolidation of the national harm reduction policy. The third generation discounted ethnography as the policy shifted away from the needs of the drug users to the nuisance they caused for public security. The review concludes that the future of Dutch drugs ethnograph lies in a revival of the original interests fortified by new technologies and methodological insights. A more balanced approach between drug users, academics and policy-makers is advocated.

Key Words:

• Drug ethnography
• street ethnography
• qualitative social science research
• drugs policy