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    VAN MAANEN, J - The Moral Fix On The Ethics of Fielwork PDF

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    thaiane_machado

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    of 10
    as ihc and Poi eer a ela Resor for those studied, Foe there soften a deep tension between even efino- trmphieacewots ofa scene or ellcvty andthe perspectives tat mem- ber od. As Docker he noted (1968:273) ‘Evert Hughes fen pole ot tat te socichogcl view ofthe ‘rola lave peneasing ce ae pee [Bes view of themes and ht onions Sexeopal tals. {is tis eet wheter cons of dtl dorpin of fora ‘mu oan sac docnon of Uno ster Descriptive acount, then, may no accord with members views, whether the publ, rowed ans, their privat ie: tis sense the accounts hve poe implications. For example, when the Geld researcher teat Drobematic what membets tke fr ranted of ew as sacred, tose ver- Hons may have real implications fr those studied have problems are paricuely apt to ase, as Becker (1967) has ex sized, in sade of Intitations and song marked by the dominance ‘fa subordinate group or category by »soperoninate group, To present the vow ofthe former ist challenge pact ofthe polite! domlaton of {he later, to counter te catalished “hierarchy oferty” wit the ps ‘spaces and concems ofthe lest cree group. And since birarchies and {eto characterize the ie of almost aay group, one of the most funds ‘ently pally Tages decions the Bldworker makes 6 how to move through tee factions and, timate, how to rerecat each with 8 i= tintveconcerat. Any parealar description may refet and hence in some Imhion vereprvet the ditigtiveconceroe of one side and wndersepre= eat those of the other ‘Suc overepreenaton may infuse description and analysis in sulle yet slalcant ways. As Thorne observed in ber postscript (his vlume, ages 733-234, for example, 1o direct her ateaton apd analysis Yo he ‘Shirlsmatieeaceip and Tik-taking process the draft estabce move- tment imply rated her account to the actives and conceas of he ‘ale movement leaders, and neglected the more routing, “suporive” ac. {hits of women movement participant. Or, Recor’: (1982) study of ‘he Hare Krishna movement, an accout that sympatet othe pa Dation snd contibatione of marginal members apd exnembers is by that ‘ery fact antthetial to the perceptions ofthe ceatel leadership, which ‘emandod total commitment from members and deerod ex-inembers (Coop) to be Both unrepresattve end peripheral t the rel force of the group. VAN MAANEN, John, The Moral Fix: On the Fics of Fieldwork. In, Robert ings. Boston/Toronto: Emerson, earch: A. Little Brow and Company, 1983. (pp.269-287). ‘The Moral Fix: (On the Ethies of Fieldwork: John Van Maanen Backgrodnd Wie a graduate side at the Unversity of Cari, vn, a ter, 193 bea utaring pts os ae he cosy Jngpernison to cont a oneman ed sty ins lars, metopian Ine cil sa te in ral ned ing mocesary to opie the octal wo of pales by Wi neingw fst the way i which young men eat soo aa he ‘ops of iy poking AloughT encountered some ina dices a loentngdepriment wig fo lerate ny planned fry nto organ ‘atonal spheres, evetaly I manage wo gin ares fo tne pole org ton larly hough he posers ofa tls Oy hap anc, aeniversty profesor noha wr ruber cost and well aes ‘ends in he ple deparment. Aer stor, lst pro oma ped of egotations withthe fankig ofc in thi agency het eared to under the pseudonym Union City Paice Dearne), enered «fear ‘eet rang ess in Ap 1970 with a eerve pace common Thad teniavesppoval for prod of abervatin inte pal eso (b> Jest tomy graduation fom the pace acadeny) an, perhaps mest inpor {any someting of sn admit conmluneat om ts Chto Pate toe my reer cid oat” seo st eA Se es egg tate Soa ‘Many ote ave help ie wih ths apr. Cenc Pace. Ma re calc Gok Sy occticena! scsi aeaowerne ovat 1 yan Unter on te “Canin of Hct reat ‘ct Sige Foundation, 1976). Profesor Corroll proved me Hnowedpebie ‘ay ‘Src the strony stgling to bull me ort of cane defend te ane T hot aks nth al at dimen a eer Py, fey lad od pont tay nd OHS te ep era SE “ately er che cn a SS aoe panei ‘Erected tacoma aan,” Mt Me vedi of Dockers m0 hic nd Paice Ie a led Reach ‘Throughout the study T worked inthe fashion of a tational ethaog- raphe of parspant observer, made no atempt 10 disguse my scholarly ‘hms of entity, and mst with ite overt hoality Ir the men whose ‘crenay als were the expt wobec of my investigation. Tn mast eo pe [fet my mode of inguysppeakimated both the vubstnce and spit ff Evans Picard cassie formulation ofthe ethnographic technique to {80 know well the persons lnvlved and fo see and hear what they do say” (quoted in Barnes, 1967:202). To this end T completed te thit- ‘eencweck pice academy couse in Union City and then spent a ile over se month as an observer riding pal with both rookie and veteran poi cofcer in several selected dts ofthe ety —in pacar, the skid r0¥ Sic, After an absence of over two Year I setuned to Union City for several mons in early 1973 and agnn spent considerable time viewing Police sevont from the vantage point of pao car. Since that psiod Ihave been back to Union Cy on several occasions both Yo rene! fend: ships and to checkout cera ings. ‘The wags that have emerged fom this lengthy bot iterated period of fieldwork have focused primary upon patlmen and their werk. Spe- ‘ically, have been concemed wih such topics as pole socialization (Van ‘Maanen, 1973, 1975), work rls (Van Maanen, 1974), and pice label- Ing practices (Van Mane, 19782). More general publications have also ‘cla subetentaliy, although less exes, pom my pice expences (Van Maanen, 1977; Van Maanen and Schein, 1977. 1h all ofthese wet fngy Ihave ade much ute ofthe fel noer I compiled doring tnd fol: Towing my various stays is Union Ciy. These notes selectively deta the vere sights and $ounds, facts and tows, conversations and actions, ‘oops and fesings tht T expedenced while embedded is, and pre ‘cccuped withthe police sone ‘Ctcaly, my methodological goal during the study was to become an secpted part of de Union City policeman’ day-to-day work work. That, ie to say, 1 waned my presence inthe trsining cls, hepato cr, on tho stl, inthe courtroom, ia the cy jal la salon, or Wherever cer fain policemen might be ata ten te 0 be ten as more or Is natura From the outet ofthe study I wanted to work (ome may sa) Woe) my sea into a eseare position wherein my presence would no lam or ober- Ine dtr those policemen with whom I war to share a poron of te. While Twas ne welcomed with obvious gle, I belee that over time {vas able by and lrg o approach tis poston, a potion somewhat 8 fora sie of grace But tore was both personal nd socal prio 1 be paid for such a succes It fet cera trolesme and altogether ching Ipliaton of this suse thatthe remainder of my cemavks in ths papet to dicted. “The Moral Fis On he Fis of Flew m A Casein Point In October of 1974, while teaching ia Cambridge Massachusetts, many niles trom Union City, T was served with two subpoenas ordering te 10 ppens ata deposition heating to ge ora testimony and to sureade cer fain esarchmatesals concerned with mates stemming trom bel action ‘rough by several Union City patie officers agaist x major Union Cy owspapee. Ore subpoena red in part: "You ae further reqied to bring ith you all your noes and ther Ble maces covering the periods coat ‘monciag July, 1970 and ending Match, 1973" The other subpocea Was somewhat more sexi, asking fr “pte, tapes, and other Me master ‘made pertining tthe rest of Chester A. Bnet” (ll aes seed ere tre, of ours, dsgied). The deposition hearing ead the cceurenes tht Te up tit and flowed i provide a convenient and sooerete tame of fe tence trough which some fsscapble aad perhpsinaubl tial em nas of feldwork can be examined. The story ie f complete, bt it ‘sates several crucial mora ues at stake when One undertakes fst hand observation? wil fist tell he story and then stempt to dew out several rather vexing ei! problems that penetate tothe very ete of the tle, ‘Chster Blavee was arrested on a slow Sunday night in Februsry, 1973, ‘He was also beaten soveraly that aight inthe back patrol ar summoned ‘0 teamspor him tothe ety ju. He wound up ying fn the intensive-care unit of Union iy hospital with three broken sis, a ponctred lun lacerations tothe head and bed, temporally blinded in one ee. He wis charged with several criminal ose, all resulting from actions that took lice afer he had been arested oa “suspicion of publ druskness” The ‘vents Fading Up to this execs in what [have elsewhere called "tet justice” (Van Maanen, 1974) can best be recounted by the field notes T ‘wrote some veo i hours afte the incon il (an ony several nek alter I had retumed to Usion City following long aboes). Ths ex. ‘septed (and slightly edited) account begins about an Roar fato the 7 PDM-3 AM. shit Iwas working with Oftees Bars and McGee “guceeeetn cen ey eget nt Leet eS Dasing th bveraion Sequences of ibe Ui Cy nagy Te ot tly" {Seman However excng a inane hes wenn eh Lee a ESOS eas m lhc and Foie ern eld Meseoch Wie packed under the lead highway ding cote and cig a sbw mevingfigt ta runes By st bos men ly ‘ata ot tes Sl, A2 hye Meet equ, {actu aod Bars, eve taatv, seems to cum the show. Over the Fado cones fan cll 1 tivesigate =» dturbance comple eed oy ibe owner of vern woh known fo hes row cope 8 ing th Toe he ewes le ay ht i ie ‘Moon ond tese le” The Tree te omen ie ‘She pus singin fools tly sping thr drake and wate {Be ue Burs then was bly over tothe ake for some enticing ary, ees Rall let ‘shy from hea Ek pocket apd hand ose Te an pal uth wall, removes hs deters Heese fom spate coctaoer aca hc a et ey ele wih op ‘ihe chaste who a ba posiou Sag win the fli) hance Ilo bam win afl ooking a these, hon pale wae Geom {he mart andy and rammage thoaeh cons teeing 00g ‘er tings uneploymest ches. mal shipyard entation dee anda soe pete of Woman and fro ehdren. This your ‘HET as aro: "Ye syste uno bebved tobe Chester A. ice Moe chines in wih the remary “You ow ths 8 Js dont you? You ike guy people™ Dicer toh ung, replies inary, "Yeah oat yout rhe flowing exchange thn ook ce: McGee: “ete ck ota ee no: Hie “Come on man sin doing o arm, just ming my own Meee: "sen you costs, his indy bare ald and id you threats er aod te aug Srbance fn his ne ‘Sablabment New ping ier: Stes Tin pg imme back oy stuf... You got ‘ans; "Here you ar, sik? Now sg your Back ae own tha ‘od cg fe ace yu aun or aa oi Joe singin oe™ se er amram ft oe SSRieiess SoS Beas sch Site Sor crane ie ts ae Rprei aie eaten Sr nee Secale een Ee eg eats aa tre ice nats Suauenereaet ie ‘SEAT Me eh sation sng fr te "wat" ELS ah Reman eo rac ‘The Mort Fa: On the ible of Fork an Tate on Be er aw Sp soe De eb nce te Tough ty sath et it sown oh heed fen sand ¢ or Riven cara ois earner ge Ke: tly seiting bat arma he ack enc Mice fica han he Sor ia or eee erect Seas apdrce oP hie Ine aly sated in gtng Bier ito the ego, Re a teh ia ae be oe ree ue Dlr, through ed a maybe uncon oe ee ee Te anaes enny gap ne sakes mean Pant res Seeinrg ces ieee Perea Som eee Lacan SSoar ute cirrcc auraerscrt eae Ter tt nse see pu eye seer Ser eee ee ee Siegel mnseiat ts metbeicey eee cee een ce fra mtraeet eos ep ion ha Scala e aire See orcs a Saharan ey ES bonen an cence’ Brena te Ute Cy Pale Depts) wen ako yor tet ‘Shove tm inthe weg aod forget oY Sa 200 By ak Bee aes Ne ee enemy matrekcnem enn Pacts ore Perea nbaraes see ioe tee carton ct Rance Eras cave Sateen Shermer at ope ee gt eh, eenaee er cere n eye DR Se as = tical an Poa wer in Fld Research “The sergeant was appatenly wise to te ways in which sich afar un- {ot forthe ae day Blase dk forma complaint charging the ares fg ofiers with the use of unecesary fre. Two Internal Invextition Division (IID) ers wore ssaned co investigate te alfa, an invests tin that resulted in ve Interviews — Blair, the four ofices on the seen fof the aret (Baroy, McGex and the tno reserve oer handling the Stogon), and myeeltTwo dae ater the are occurred, I gave my account ODD fa testimony tht wax both underoath and tape recorded. In that {extmony tsecounted the incident as accurately as Tcold from memory (Gt including he report-wtingeecouter wih the squad sergeant). id sot bring my nots ofthe cient othe TID inteviw nor dd make rele hee to thet extence. Almost ie weeks later the ofcers were exonerated ‘by ID, and che compli tel was ruled “unfounded.” Bair, then ow of the hospital and out on bl, thteatene through is attorney to le cil ont apust the city, charging ecogomie and pial impairment a a1 Salt of the police eating Several days Belore his scheduled tral on the {elony county the date attorneys ofc agreed to drop al charges agaist ‘lave the in torn would sgn waiver absolving the iy from all r= Solis inthe mtr. He signed “The story, whichis «commoa one in poice eels, would have ended thore had not been for a relationship T developed with police reporter in Union Giy. I had Been introduced to this reporter by, oddly enue, ‘nies Barns a «squad party several wees after the Blazer arrest, and Ste became rather pod fends over the enue ofthe following year. We Tinted with one another, exchanged many Tees, and in general talked food deal about police work. We had both spent considerable time i he hid row dst of Union Cty and ha observed the particularly active and lggrosive palo tate aed im that part of town. Since me both Knew ‘Barns rather well the Blzier incident sos i 2 few of our conversations Tnded, while 1 was sUl In Union i, the repre, Bares and Thad once {aed ater candy and argumeatatvely about the events (and out var ‘us intrpetatons of the) that serovnded the beating of Chester lar. Tn carly 1974, almost ayer after we had me, ay reporter fiend wrote a series of ales on "Skid Row Cops.” Hach article was cosiroted Something of profile on the working syle of paula patrolman. The rcs al eat with putzlmen Tad keowa wel although I had nothing “Teety or Knowingly todo with the prion of the artis themselves. ‘Append to the poe on Ofer Bare was story about the Blaze In {iGo ened “A” Citon Fights for is Rights Was He Wrong?” Ia thisslory, the reporter recounted interviews he ad eld wih Blair, Bans tnd Mtge sometine well ster the icdent had Been daposd of bythe ours he alo sted fom the set repor fled the nigh Blazer was a fest, No mention was made in any of the aries ef my presence on the ‘Seene in Union City, or could detest the we of any private information T "The Moral Fa: On the Eis f Fido see rth eno desebing the reumstances hugh whieh Blister es Tom hi ite chinese paclten wo ner feed inte ssi pa ‘ela, Baas erated und needy wha ty ook Ss i racy sd wh Wt hy i ook hese he pees Wihin a month er Uw anci apes oe Beha of woof Duper with be and sande Ti ber wh te newsppe hen sported my ea ‘ony an eco apa on he ee ese ne Te yr nist have felt to be the esseatiol truthfulness ofthe “ae poeta 8 ral I cl ey te pone torr ft naling he epee Or eld ee es in the roca protect what Tok tab oe Pls isk posible raneton, romen I had Known in Union City. cone the ‘st nurse of the pt ‘ater on mukpe grounds. Fist, th ter ofthe supocas were a ms porter shout the Blair indent iTS. ep NT Sot ah a ar ce 26 cl and Poi es itd Research neces stahed, For instance, had materials bearing on possible pie Dorcas drug desing, aye lasting of evidence, and x0 on. Masy of thes incense obese, merely conjectare on my art or wveced {and perhaps unveiiale) stove Tht head ad by patoimen in Union Cig (eseally about other ptrimes). Bu a few ofthese tales had bees ‘lcmed by ay ova observations. ‘Ness to sy, homer, I wished to koep information gathered in cone ‘dene conden, and although Thad o doubt betrayed thi principle though some of my all-oo-arol conversations with te police reporter, T tres aot about to compound this eror with another patently more serious nad extensive Betrayal. Secod, I had previo given sworn testiony on the Ble incident, and a tape of my interview was presumably avaiable from the pole department. This tape war evenly tuned ever {0 the owspapetallough i ook court erder to pry ou ofa moxt reluctant ‘Sparen. Fall, the atorney eepeseaing the newopaper in the case had aso been a key puble gure, a special federal prosecutor in x police Scandal that had exoped in Union Cay seveeal years before, and hence ‘would have probably been poor etnie indeed fo handle sesve mate Fal, At the deposition hesrng uel T appeared and brought with me the Sstpoensed materials but refed to turn them ove o ele de court ot the newspaper, On the advise of my lnjers I based my claims for privcge fn the eegunt, peipious, but thoroughiy nonexistent rounds of = earch conden. “The Jal sf eprsening the newspaper thea began preparing case foe a dst court in Masachucets in weich they would isk he out 0 find mn in stninal coat for ot having comeled wih the terms of the sibpoeaa, They would argue that th pubis right to Know Ci this ase, the newspaper's ight to know) clearly outwelghed my ambiguous ‘dks fo rewearch conden. Before T wea to trl however 2 Union iy judge in preminay hearing om one ofthe police el and stander Sits dinmised the case onthe ponds thatthe ofces had fled to show fhmage as 4 ut of the newspaper aril. "The oer suit was soon ‘dropped the Parolen's Assocation, and my cate then became oo. ‘Tas was most fortunate, fr hl been aie by a nuaber of atereys tnd scholars that Tad very por case and would most ikely lose in he tise court. Hypohetally, a lest, Twas atthe tie prepared to go 10 jal if sscenary, Believing i wnlkly (bu usted) that T would be kept therefor more tsa fe days. Yet in caso this variety there are pre ‘os few precedents 1 Zo by {beg one ci cone, mus cnt pail Oa ae ‘Bee cael erg eng etl om he cement Fieldwork Reh 1 would be easy to overs the cial ages rie by this cse. My “Semi was nt simply dein posthoc wheter or nt to tar over what 1 tok tobe conden materials the court o the newspaper. Rater, sth cao partly iat, I wat making ethical choles (some gO, Some wot so good) everyday during the stady. Merely my presence among the ski ror agua of paralmen may have served symbolically as «gl to the pres that perhaps something unusoal or interesting was occuring there, something hat had potential fr “good copy.” Nor was my dilemma ‘conned simply to deciding post hoe what material wo publish Very clea, ‘oral choles are made day in and day out in he eld when daiding what ata ogo after, ow Io gu them, Who to tlt, how apd where to record ‘nd store data, and 0 forth* Too often, discussions of etbieal materi ia ‘he sil slencer turn oly on ster the decisions conerning the dislo- sure of research intent Yo these who are sd, or on the problems posed bythe publation of seostve materi, so that the pelvacy, epulaon, and good wil of the studied are protected. Those are inporaat mates, of ‘Soure, bu they fal to touch dzely ea the sorts of immediate, personal, land cfcracating deciloas made by rearcher working os pros toluions tothe multitude of problems faced in the Bt “SMEs orate oat hss ts pone © se ad chy ii ere) aby oni “ealeonat pgs tia SS nee ae sels eae omnes eg) dig the pera in wl he entag Paper wee rca sad rnd Stes See are See ere eo hea ae Ere arene oe hee mea ty E.Gerotns tes een Aerie seen rece ee at See Se eek ieee m8 bic Police in Field Research From this stndpintvoly etry aspect of my tin Union Cig rsprents the pero revlon of ties the! lemmas. Thee ate $ cnyo pi moral stapes oe ken the esearch in ewok Stations, Cry, eldnokescanot kaw wht ty ae “ting int Sl they “pt nt As Bosker (1964) bas cbc, here ay be some very broad gules svaabl, sucha not wating coiencso eg. ing hare to sbjcs, bt in prtcc tho pine are lve sd at sien things to ferent people Seldom has there been even t modes. Steptoe ndtdedinerretaton af the Soboral or comer Jnplcnion of gisines as protacing one's informants Indod here someting of gear cosear ~ at es tong socks — tht Jens the iden of producing cont, speed rs forthe “ela con Aut” of eld rescarch® Some ret the ee primarily a naib and npc, sine sh aes woot rede the gxbering of erin Kinde of deta (Dols 1976; Rosh, 1963). Others rest epee. ble itt repant, ce ch as wold in eet le the Seldwoker {na debatable bt orl superior poston vise, acting those vio are studied (Klckar, 1974; Rainwater and Pt, 1967). tit thes ret tort mposbie, eve the inkerenyicolte Sd evotonay character of alles (Mshan and Wood 1975, Bakar {nd Pindion, 1964). Nonethses,ehieal decom do gel tade aad a counted for by ldworer. Blow I il iy review what Teaser to te the mt chal wonbleome seas rane by then sty observation of the poze Thaen toe, however the following dscaion merely se tts rate han reste he moral x erie say encounter whe sorkng io laeenforeot stings. In sorte no sul slton {Bat wl the peated alway prculr ues tht ae sed nel sds Unt he choice shout when and whet ora» al nd thea ne mas et on a nid not sles, conc, Parscipation ow far dovs a parispsntobzerer goin astng the pie with thie diy asks? Haaser actually Been fighting the ofices for asanc, 1 have few doubt that I would have entered the fay onthe seo he polis, ‘ny ch fn gt “Cann feat ed year abet Spann Sev alt caer ne Nae Fone mpi ne ofa Se “ant tin Ona a race it re etna Poaceae cee segam eine SSNS etme ie ane! Spee ea STR See aera eet ae ‘Te Mor Fs On the ibe of Fink - ‘This i a sort of “member test for ethical decision making. If one joins wi the pice in order to tay them, one ir under considerable oigation to elp them when needed. The height of moral duplicity would befor 2 pbseve fo pose a a friend and suporter ofthe pie (and thet Hiky to be any way around this one i to develop a sastained and in mate esearch relationship with then) and thea refs to aide by this poss ‘when ai & required. I know ffom my owt experience that On Occhon atolmon entered certain situations without adel poise sper! clay ‘cane ofthe ational safety they ft my preseace proved ens OF arse this docs not imply tat the researcher need go alog on alter that do not endanger the safety of the observed, nor does nese mean that ooe go slong blindly oa all matter that Jo. But the eldworkee oes have the obligation to inform those who are sted ext wher th ag il be drawn or pechaps just when tha line is being approached, As ‘have suggested elsewhere, I drew few lines (Van Manns 19788), is important to note aso that many if ao most of he agroments be tween the researcher and researched infield stations are tacit That research understandings about who will do what, whem and where arse ecurively over tne as result of for example, previous silences cain tsied by the researcter about peal neimiasting and enbereang raters, These understandings may ako come abot ws contequene of specie cooperative or collusive arrangements that emerge fom pte Incident. T once was privy to conversation in which vecen, pllee fee constructed a eover sory with the abe estane of several thee ofcers concerning the sloughing of of «Kafe onan unwary muspst af ‘sted for a relatively minor offense (Van Mase 1973). Story hers alter, since Thad not reported the incident, I tow was embraced la tne ‘verbal conspiracy that surounded the fle aid was therefor ts vlner, le to sanction as wee all the oes invalved in developing the stony ne { stopect any researcher who spends more than sper ema of ‘ie withthe police is party to much formation of & discrediting (and probably ga!) nature. Thus, those who remus likely to have ntsed, however inadvertent, into a seat bond of mutta protections Bond Supported by what Wesley (1970) called the “ovat rule” Ve, one Wises to be where te action takes pela pice orgaietons, x cera ‘mora relativism i required. As Buckner (1967) suage,Ssibend ob servation ty wel gure the axpensio ofngle- minded (pethape simple. minded) standards for judging the behavior afer Alen In pee ‘rzaizations, feldwork demands of the researcher an ality tallow 1 ass without seeusiory comment cersin ston that may wel be vowed 55 morally repagnan. The hope, of couse, is that inthe ed the eh ‘when it is depicted fly, wl help us al ont NNoneteles, the observer in police stings is subject normaly to the same resitons, bok legal and departmental, that presumably regults a0 ica an Police a Field Research nr ok csc te meas ae alee Sree erent area Sioes ee ee eae en eos Foe eee tag okey nme eden ase apse Sree ete dee caren ee Se eee aos Ss eee Soiree aan Se aes ttt Sy i ger Peewee acc roe arene imino esate ot winatsdaenrg nies ce ces aoe aes Sees Solr eee sea oa reece tae a or pomp ein ssosnicoe ae ora eso Coes a a ees Seat eas ee eens Soe eee aces =a Guilty Knowledge andthe Protection of Individuals ‘Ae omnia Sl of Fre ei apy enn cw cag in sametines incre stark ed aria ons iin ron Ley phan camer These who fae sede po ice sand soport sch he ue hing (Skala 1966; Re, 1970s Robinten, 1973, Manning, 1977). Peps pace departs, ike all tpuztion, ae chanced us mich by paired evan of some tors a they ae by sit shernc to otor norms. Ione Was 9b {Ste these ease rps, ovo hat the on tol ase = chen ay (6) i oui so ‘ene = Sept oer nlc te ci cane in, Tt heh, {ip Se ie Boer Coto), ‘The Mort Fiat On the icf Fleork a ' verbal and behavioral commitment oprset the confidently of sources who reveal and sometimes demonstrat such evasons. This mes ast that the researcher must vcate te law i onder fo tadersand something of its implementations. There i 20 way around thi ftdworkrs were 1 reveal thie perional sources of lafrmation (as the law techaaly de rans), it would not be Tong before they ad no peronal sours of ins formation tet ‘Mainaining the condeatiaty of ovidual informants is thea intended sot enly 1b protet the individ rom harm, bet alo to protect the o> Search enterprise itself. Fleldwork proceeds more or es sccesuly de- ‘ending upon te degre wo which thou withthe dats tut tows whe wast the data to protet them from persona, social, cr organizations! fry Thus thee are expedient, seltservag, and moral reasons for gesting the ‘rust of informants Perhaps wih iaformationpithered covery some mea strings are cu, but even ete the resursher mast pce constable et ‘ance on the dat resling from human Wes the covert oberver has et lhe within the organization — tes that would mot exo were not fOr te fact that research is being done. Only the "unoberved bere,” who works eniely bat sureptiousy with data gathered unobtresively fom publ, acchival, or othe indectsoures, would seem to be fro otis ‘moral consti hining researchers to thee whot they cbse. I ties. wher any dislowure of purpose is made, the rule of hunt would appear tobe that the closer one is 0 an iftorasns snd the more exp the om ise of confidently, the greater the researchers ligation Beooes 10 ree the informant, ‘This cule of thumb is hardly absolute, however. How far would 1 have sone to protect my police acquinances had Blazer been kled byte Price that January evening? There must always be the posliy tat the escarche's personal morality will ore im to violate tpl o exc esearch agesments or perhaps evento abandon the study sell Tosag, ‘gt the contrary would be to make machine ofthe rexerchcr sid ‘humanize fieldwork, ‘Who sto Be Harmed? Becker (1967) has argued with considerable justication that the prin- ‘ipl ethical probes in publishing the rents of ld stasis i Sei. ing who isto be harmed, not wheter or aot harm wl result Paraphrasing Becket, any study tha done well wll no doubt please some poop aad ‘anger others, Ths, the choice boils down to who will be ange, This problem arises precisely because the social scents, of nec een fe ors on mates that some would prefer to keep quit, When idworkers ete p a research repor they wil Inevitably betray ihe trust and con, ence some informants have placed ia them. To wit, throughout my study 2 ihc and Poin Lanes in ld Research 1 tempted continually to convey the impression to police administrators that ay wore was hares to them. Eventually, however, {knew I wae bound to violate whatever misplaced wast T might have crated, sac the tone aod thrust of what I wrote would undoubtedly Indete that things vere not a the administrators sd they were and, furthermore, that ie tor nothing wae Bing done about For the general reacenip individuals ae relatively cay to disguise tn Sela reports, Parola acinitrtons and orpaniztons ate Fes cas) 1 disguise, although tis common practic ot. This ater problem Yd less morally bothersome tan the forme, since administrations and ergani- zation have far greater resources 10 defend themselves of to sks Back ‘han d edvidul,patialnly those a the lower levels, who are relatively hedges. Yet, even in iguse damage may result to thove inde an ore ization, where it may be reasonably easy to determine who's who in the fldworker report. For example, Ihave Hite Jou that several ofthe {dividuals avaved in eran abecdots Thave published area best shinly

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