Object structure
Title:

Empathy and Mutuality in Qualitative Research: Reflections from Three Different Research Fields

Creator:

Kocyba, Piotr ; Muszel, Magdalena ; Trogisch, Corinna

Publisher:

Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology Polish Academy of Sciences

Place of publishing:

Warsaw

Date issued/created:

2022

Description:

24 cm

Type of object:

Journal/Article

Subject and Keywords:

ethnography -- journal ; empathy ; feminist research ; ethnography ; ‘unloved’ groups ; activism

Abstract:

This article discusses the authors’ reflections on empathy in the context of fieldwork on feminist activism in small towns in Poland and Eastern Germany. Our methodological reflection is further enriched by our referencing of challenges faced in researching activists mobilising for protests against COVID-19 measures. While the role and impact of an empathic approach to data collection and interpretation have been controversial since the ‘erklären-verstehen controversy’, empathy can be understood in very different ways, ranging from sympathy or compassion to the ability to put oneself in someone else’s shoes. Against the backdrop of our case studies, we focus on the openness and curiosity we showed toward our interviewees’ emotions and experiences, despite ideological or socio-cultural differences between us. The key themes of our discussion include the relationship between the researcher and the research subjects, the impact of this relationship on the research process, the constantly changing conditions for interpretative social research, and the impact of such changes on the use of empathy.

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Relation:

Ethnologia Polona

Volume:

43

Start page:

19

End page:

39

Resource type:

Text

Detailed Resource Type:

Article

Format:

application/octet-stream

Resource Identifier:

0137-4079 ; eISSN 2719-6976 ; doi:10.23858/ethp.2022.43.3018

Source:

IAiE PAN, call no. P 366 ; IAiE PAN, call no. P 367 ; IAiE PAN, call no. P 368 ; click here to follow the link

Language:

eng

Rights:

Creative Commons Attribution BY-NC-ND 4.0 license

Terms of use:

Copyright-protected material. [CC BY-NC-ND 4.0] May be used within the scope specified in Creative Commons Attribution BY-NC-ND 4.0 license, full text available at: ; -

Digitizing institution:

Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences

Original in:

Library of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences

Access:

Open

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