Covert Ethnographies

Ok so now that I'm not feeling so guilty about not studying (since I'm done school, awww yeahh), I can sit here and rant about covert ethnographies at my leisure. Except not at my complete leisure because my friends are coming over for lunch at 1:30.

I'd like to talk about covert ethnographies today because I came across them while studying for an exam, and I had actually missed the class that they were talked about in. Basically a covert ethnography is a study that takes place where the researcher immerses themselves within a group to study them, but without the knowledge of the group members. Basically it's like going undercover for research. According to my notes, this form of research is highly frowned upon and not usually seen as a legitimate form of research, because of the myriad of ethical concerns that may arise over the course of the study.

I have a pretty big issue with that. While I agree that there is no form of informed consent taking place and there is possibility of potential harm to 'participants,' I do not see any difference from the numerous studies that are deemed 'ethical.'

We have constructed a world where if people are willing to be assholes to get ahead, we let them. Why are unethical or shady practices in scientific research deemed acceptable, while a covert ethnography, a form of research that can be extremely informative is not? Numerous drugs that have been pushed out of the lab and into pharmacies every year are foisted onto patients with little knowledge of actual side effects, and this is more 'ethical' than a covert ethnography?

In both cases the participants are being duped and those that conduct the research are benefiting. With a covert ethnography, there are obviously much greater risks to the researcher. For example, if a researcher is researching the inner-workings of a gang, they are obviously putting themselves at a much greater risk (than a drug tester), particularly if their identity is unveiled.

I suppose what I'm ultimately getting at is, while there are a gajillion different forms of research, I see little if any less legitimacy in a covert ethnography than other research methods and designs. The word 'ethics' is also a pretty strong buzz word, and who exactly decides what is 'ethical' is another extremely perplexing// complex issue, perhaps for another time.

In conclusion, being a covert ethnographer would be so wick//bad ass.