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Anthropology Anonymous? Pseudonyms and Confidentiality as Challenges for Ethnography in the Twenty-first Century
[journal article]
Abstract This article reflects on the delicate issue of confidentiality and anonymity in contemporary anthropological research. It focuses on the challenges of assigning pseudonyms and disguising the identity of interlocutors and participants, especially in the contemporary context of the widespread use of s... view more
This article reflects on the delicate issue of confidentiality and anonymity in contemporary anthropological research. It focuses on the challenges of assigning pseudonyms and disguising the identity of interlocutors and participants, especially in the contemporary context of the widespread use of social media and the internet. Drawing on the moral dilemmas, struggles, and failures that I experienced in relation to these issues in my own research, the article discusses the complexity of finding the right balance between respecting research participants' interests and well-being, on the one hand, and living up to both the high ethical standards of the discipline and the desire to provide a meaningful analysis of 'real' issues, people, and places, on the other.... view less
Keywords
anthropology; research; ethics; social media; data protection; data security; anonymity
Classification
Ethnology, Cultural Anthropology, Ethnosociology
Philosophy of Science, Theory of Science, Methodology, Ethics of the Social Sciences
Free Keywords
Anonymisation; anthropological fieldwork; confidentiality; pseudonyms; research ethics
Document language
English
Publication Year
2021
Page/Pages
p. 15-33
Journal
EthnoScripts: Zeitschrift für aktuelle ethnologische Studien, 23 (2021) 1
Issue topic
How to write? Experiences, challenges and possibilities of ethnographic writing
ISSN
2199-7942
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed