So far, so close. Ethics and emotions in fieldwork in a tragic context
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31048/1852.4826.v8.n2.13232Keywords:
ethics, emotions, fieldwork, tragedy, victimsAbstract
In this paper I will look into the relationships carried out along fieldwork in a tragic and deeply distressing context. I carried on my fieldwork in a group of relatives of those killed in the fire at the stadium “Republic Cromañón”. Throughout this process, my emotions and my assumptions about the death and how to relate with that relatives, crystallized in a decision of ethical nature: I would avoid certain behaviors and attitudes (give my opinion in their debates, being on certain certain events and spaces, publicly expose my distress, etc.), which I considered as the exclusive prerogative of the parents of the dead young kids. Consequently, I adopt a behavior that did not match with some parents expectations on my presence among them, and contributed to generate tensions and suspicions about me. I will analyze how my feelings and ideas about death contributed to shape my position as researcher on the field. Here I refer to Elias who has analyzed how contemporary societies represented this phenomenon as one that transforms deeply the life of the living people.Downloads
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