Far from neutral: Research ethics committees, interdisciplinarity and fieldwork

This article critiques research ethics committees (RECs) for stifling social sciences research through rigid, one‐size‐fits‐all ethics protocols. It highlights how these protocols, rooted in medical science perspectives, ignore the complexities of fieldwork, and prioritize institutional protection o...

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Published inAnthropology today Vol. 40; no. 2; pp. 21 - 24
Main Author Halkias, Alexandra
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.04.2024
Subjects
Bureaucracy
Ethics committees
Fieldwork
Gender studies
Research ethics
Research subjects
Social research
Social sciences
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Abstract This article critiques research ethics committees (RECs) for stifling social sciences research through rigid, one‐size‐fits‐all ethics protocols. It highlights how these protocols, rooted in medical science perspectives, ignore the complexities of fieldwork, and prioritize institutional protection over knowledge advancement. The article illustrates the bureaucratic barriers to sociological and gender studies research through a case study involving fieldwork in a Greek hospital, showing how intersecting hierarchies in the field can render REC instruments invasive or moot. This article aims to enrich academic enquiry by acknowledging the diverse realities of research subjects and methodologies.
AbstractList This article critiques research ethics committees (RECs) for stifling social sciences research through rigid, one‐size‐fits‐all ethics protocols. It highlights how these protocols, rooted in medical science perspectives, ignore the complexities of fieldwork, and prioritize institutional protection over knowledge advancement. The article illustrates the bureaucratic barriers to sociological and gender studies research through a case study involving fieldwork in a Greek hospital, showing how intersecting hierarchies in the field can render REC instruments invasive or moot. This article aims to enrich academic enquiry by acknowledging the diverse realities of research subjects and methodologies.
Author Halkias, Alexandra
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Cites_doi 10.1525/pol.2007.30.2.249
10.1111/1467-8322.12811
10.1136/bmjgh-2022-011415
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Copyright 2024 The Authors. Anthropology Today published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Royal Anthropological Institute.
2024. This article is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.
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Notes The author thanks Michael Herzfeld for insightful discussions and editorial advice, the reviewers for their refining comments, Gustaaf Houtman for editing and overseeing this special issue and Maria Pavlidi for being an excellent researcher and collaborator.
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SubjectTerms Bureaucracy
Ethics committees
Fieldwork
Gender studies
Research ethics
Research subjects
Social research
Social sciences
Title Far from neutral: Research ethics committees, interdisciplinarity and fieldwork
URI https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111%2F1467-8322.12876
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Volume 40
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