I have critiqued an article ‘Get Ready to Duck: Bouncers and the Realities of Ethnographic Research on Violent Groups’(Winlow, S., Hobbs, D., Hadfield, P., Lister, S., (2001) ‘Get Ready to Duck: Bouncers and the Realities of Ethnographic Research on Violent Groups’, British Journal of Criminology, 41, 536-548.) that deals with violence in a job role. Bouncers have a reputation for violence and the following article investigates the bouncer’s role using qualitative research. The method used is covert ethnography. I will examine this article in terms of the methodological approaches, size of the sample, and the moral and ethical problems with the method used; the use of deceit; the possibility of using violence whilst working on the door and views on ethical problems. I will investigate the strengths of the article and identify the limitations of the article.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction and Methodological Framework
2. Advantages of Covert Ethnography in Violent Subcultures
3. Ethical Challenges and Professional Risks
4. Evaluation of Researcher Safety and Moral Implications
5. Conclusion on Methodological Effectiveness
Research Objectives and Themes
This paper provides a critical evaluation of the ethnographic research article 'Get Ready to Duck: Bouncers and the Realities of Ethnographic Research on Violent Groups'. The primary objective is to analyze the methodological approach of covert ethnography in the context of violent occupational environments, specifically addressing the balance between research depth and the ethical dilemmas inherent in deception and potential harm.
- Methodological rigor of covert ethnography in sociology
- Ethical implications of informed consent and participant deception
- Researcher safety and emotional labor in violent subcultures
- The tension between subjective observation and objective data
- Analysis of stereotypes regarding occupational violence
Excerpt from the Book
Get Ready to Duck: Bouncers and the Realities of Ethnographic Research on Violent Groups
Advantages of this approach are the researcher can see how the culture operates, and not how people say it operates. With covert ethnography, detail can be gathered; unlike with overt ethnography where the researcher is known and the participants are aware they are being studied. This prevents the gathering of ‘true’ facts as the participant will not respond in the same ways they would in their natural setting. Violent groups are not willing to be studied due to potential illegal activities that could occur. A few activities Winlow states are,
There were cigarette and beer importation scams, fake designer clothes, handbags, perfume, jewellery, currency, drugs, anabolic steroids. Stolen ‘everything’, from videos to razor blades, goods bought on hire purchase which would never be paid, the produce of credit card scams, shoplifting and commercial burglary. Whatever commodity was on offer, bouncers were the ideal conduit.
(Winlow, 2001 in Hobbs, 2003, pg 226)
Ethnographic research has no need for a hypothesis, the researcher creates their article from field-notes; they may report on a different subject area of the subculture. This is an advantage; there is no set question as in questionnaires. Once you have sent out a questionnaire, the subject and research direction cannot be changed. Therefore the decision to conduct covert ethnographic research was the right decision in this case. The disadvantages of this research; the researcher becoming overwhelmed by the amount of information he has to take in. It is easier to write field-notes for overt research but for covert it is more difficult, especially in this case study as bouncers do not carry a pad and pen around with them to write notes on incidents. In this study the researcher wrote his notes the following morning, and he may have forgotten vital information and evidence.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction and Methodological Framework: This section introduces the core subject of bouncer culture and outlines the critical investigation into the covert ethnographic method used by Winlow et al.
2. Advantages of Covert Ethnography in Violent Subcultures: This chapter argues that covert observation is essential to bypass the resistance of deviant groups and gain access to authentic, non-performative social data.
3. Ethical Challenges and Professional Risks: This section examines the moral conflicts surrounding the absence of informed consent, the necessity of deception, and the emotional toll on the researcher.
4. Evaluation of Researcher Safety and Moral Implications: This chapter assesses the physical and psychological risks to the ethnographer when embedding within a group associated with violent criminal activity.
5. Conclusion on Methodological Effectiveness: This final section synthesizes the findings, concluding that the research benefits regarding cultural insight outweigh the significant ethical risks involved.
Keywords
Covert ethnography, Bouncers, Qualitative research, Research ethics, Informed consent, Violent groups, Interpretivism, Participant observation, Sociology, Deception in research, Field-notes, Subculture, Occupational violence.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this critique?
The paper evaluates the article 'Get Ready to Duck' by analyzing the efficacy and morality of using covert ethnography to study the occupational culture of nightclub bouncers.
What are the central themes discussed in the analysis?
Central themes include the methodological benefits of covert observation, the ethics of participant deception, researcher safety, and the challenge of maintaining objectivity in violent settings.
What is the core research question addressed by the author?
The author investigates whether the deep insights gained through covert ethnography justify the violation of ethical standards such as informed consent and the risks to researcher safety.
Which research methodology is at the heart of this study?
The study employs covert ethnography, a qualitative method where the researcher participates in the subject's environment without revealing their identity as an observer.
What does the main body of the paper cover?
The main body examines the practical advantages of naturalistic observation, the difficulties of note-taking without being detected, and the ethical dilemmas concerning privacy and potential harm.
Which keywords best describe this research?
Key terms include covert ethnography, participant observation, research ethics, occupational violence, and qualitative subculture analysis.
Why is informed consent often ignored in this type of research?
Informed consent is often bypassed because the subjects, who are involved in illicit activities, would likely refuse participation if they were aware they were being studied, leading to biased data.
How does the author address the risk of 'going native'?
The author acknowledges the risk of indoctrination but argues that the ethnographer's commitment to 'personal observation' is the only way to acquire accurate knowledge in such complex, closed environments.
What specific safety measure did the ethnographer use?
The ethnographer conducted research at a nightclub a significant distance from his home town to ensure he could safely exit the setting and 'disappear' after the study concluded.
- Quote paper
- Lea Weller (Author), 2009, A Critique on the Article Get ‘Ready to Duck: Bouncers and the Realities of Ethnographic Research on Violent Groups, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/264578
