To “help” or not to “help” the participant : a global South ethnographer’s dilemma in the global South

Abstract

<div lang="en" class="abs"><p class="abs_header">Abstract</p><p>Ethnographers are often faced with the dilemma of whether to help or not help participants, especially those from the global South conducting fieldwork at “home.” While such dilemmas are frequent, rarely any guideline directly engages with them. In this brief paper, I engage with the ethical dilemma of whether to help research participants during fieldwork, especially in the global South where participants are often marginalized populations who may ask for crucial help. In so doing, I first question what should be considered as “help.” Then I juxtapose help with the ethical issues of reciprocity and responsibility. Third, I briefly focus on the emotional burden that ethnographers often become subject to for not being able to help the way they might have wanted and finally, discuss uneven immersion as a tactic to deal with the dilemma.</p></div>