Abstract
This study analyses potential vulnerabilities conditioned by the pressure of an ethics of care placed on a researcher to stay empathetic with the subjects of study in action research with subcultures consisting of male-dominated groups, including how 24/7 access to social media and digital technologies augments possibilities for abuse. The author, and the subject of this chapter, is a female researcher who has conducted action research in a community of Russian hip-hop activists for a period of two years, during which she has played the double role of both project manager and researcher. The starting point of this project was to establish a horizontal organisational structure that would allow greater agency on the part of community members to influence both cultural actions and research processes. Applying auto-ethnography, the author addresses the following research questions: What are the potential implications of the use of a feminist ethics of care by a female researcher in relation to a male-dominated community when attempting to equalise power dynamics between the university and community? What kinds of problems might arise when the subjects of research overstep their agency to influence decision-making processes? How can media channels for internal communication be used (and abused) and what are the ethical implications for the researcher and the subjects of the research?
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Notes
- 1.
Due to the sensitivity of the issue, the names of both the organisations and the individuals involved in the projects discussed in this chapter are anonymised.
- 2.
Swedish Institute is a public agency that sees interests of Sweden in the fields of culture, science, education and business, promotes Swedish values and supports Sweden’s relationships with other countries in the world (www.si.se).
- 3.
Gangsta rap is a style of hip-hop music characterised by lyrics that specifically emphasise gangster lifestyle and even openly manifest connections with street gangs as a part of their artistic identity. Initially being an underground form of hip hop, gangsta rap has become one of the most commercially lucrative subgenres, which reached its peak in the 1990s.
- 4.
“The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030” (UNDP, official website).
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Kalinina, E. (2020). Difficult Choices: Application of Feminist Ethics of Care in Action Research. In: Jeppesen, S., Sartoretto, P. (eds) Media Activist Research Ethics. Global Transformations in Media and Communication Research - A Palgrave and IAMCR Series. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44389-4_10
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