Damien Stone

HUM-211

Fall 2021

Dr. Allen

Article Review #2
 The article I chose was Research Across Cultures, Within Countries: Hidden Ethics

Tensions in Research with Children and Families? By Janet Boddy. The main theme of this

article is that it is important to address cultural and ethnic differences and keep those into

consideration when dealing with groups of people who are culturally and ethnically diverse. In

short, this means that we must not discount the role that culture and ethnicity plays in our

society, and even the formation of an individual’s thoughts, beliefs, and ideas. Culture and

ethnicity inevitably influences every aspect of an individual’s personality, and thus can influence

their interactions with others and the outside world.

One concept from this article that is associated with a particular chapter is when Boddy

discusses the concept of an ‘in-group’ and an ‘out-group’. This is referenced in Chapter 6 of

Intercultural Communication: A Contextual Approach by James Neuliep. The concept of an ‘in-

group’ and ‘out-group’ is extremely prevalent in the development of an individual’s social

identity. A social identity is how you are perceived and ranked by society (Neuliep, 2020, p.

192). Boddy asserts that the out-group or those from lower social statuses typically are less

reluctant to speak out against those in the higher social stratifications for fear of repercussion.

This can complicate research in terms of getting true understandings of the tensions between

differing cultures and ethnicities (Boddy, 2014, p. 96).

Another concept from this article that is associated with a chapter in Neuliep’s book is

when Boddy speaks about how an individual’s language can drastically exclude them from

research, and by proxy social interaction (Boddy, 2014, p. 99). Neuliep mentions the importance

of language several times in his book, but specifically on Chapter 7. There, he goes into detail

about the universality of language and its importance (Neuliep, 2020, p. 288).
 Finally, another concept that relates directly to Neuliep’s book is creating intercultural

relationships despite the differences in cultures or ethnicities. Both Neuliep and Boddy mention

this throughout several portions of their works. Making these connections requires sensitivity,

openness, and understanding from both cultures in regards to their differences.

A new concept that was discussed in this article is the importance of having a translator.

While Neuliep briefly mentions translators in later chapters of his book, he does not spend much

time discussing their importance, which is interesting for a book written on intercultural

communication. Boddy details the difficulty in communication when encountering different

cultures and ethnicities, as oftentimes language is a ‘critical barrier’ to research between multiple

ethnic or racial backgrounds (Boddy, 2014, p. 98). Not only is the language itself a potential

source of conflict, but the dialect can also create issues with understanding other languages as

well. Oftentimes, parents and children may speak different languages or dialects if they are first

generations to live in a different culture or ethnic location wherein another language is spoken.

This can create barriers to communication as well, and it could potentially require the children to

be responsible for the communication of their parents. Boddy calls this ‘brokering’ and mentions

that it is a potential difficulty that can be seen in research.

Although this article focuses mainly on the issues that arise from differing ethnicities and

cultures in terms of the research, all of these challenges can also be seen in normal, every day

life. However, recognizing that these challenges may arise due to the cultural or ethnic

backgrounds of individuals is the first step in combating the challenges associated. As

researchers, and frankly as humans in general, we must be open and patient with those who do

not come from similar cultural or ethnic backgrounds in order to effectively communicate with

them, and to have them effectively communicate with us.

Source:

Boddy, Janet. “Research across Cultures, within Countries: Hidden Ethics Tensions in Research
with Children and Families? - Janet Boddy, 2014.” SAGE Journals, 10 June 2013,
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1464993413490477. 

Neuliep, J.W. (2020). Intercultural Communication: A Contextual Approach (8th Ed.). Los

Angeles, CA: Sage.