Considering ethics and power relations in a qualitative study exploring experiences of divorce among British-Indian adult children

Abstract

"This paper outlines the need for the critical scrutiny of ethics and power relations embedded in the research process, particularly when researching minority ethnic communities. Research with minority groups within institutional and structural contexts is challenging. It demands close engagement for recruitment, participation of minority community members for research. in addition, critical interpretation and reflexivity on part of researchers is vital to ensure that knowledge generated is not biased, or harmful that pathologises minority groups. This paper systematically considers issues of recruitment, participation, and interpretation throughout the research process through a qualitative research study carried out with British- Indian adult children of divorce. In doing so, it considers the strategies used and critical discusses their outcomes. It does not present findings but considers the experiences of conducting this research within the larger contexts of inquiry focussing on minority ethnic groups. The research processes are reflexively considered by the author and emphasises the need to consider power as dynamic relationship by engaging with the positions of the researcher and the researched, differing agendas, gender, cultural and linguistic influences within the interview that have shaped the data obtained. The paper concludes that research with minority ethnic communities is important and critical but needs to be conducted in ways that are cultural sensitivity, involve communities, provides opportunities for participation. Due to their minority status, research with this groups presents a greater need for analytical transparency-validation and critical researcher reflexivity." [author's abstract]