Hearing Lost Voices. Issues in Researching 'Hidden' Minority Ethnic Communities

This article addresses key methodological and ethical dilemmas faced by criminologists when investigating the experiences of minority ethnic households. The paper argues that by employing broad ethnic categories, such as Black' or Asian', when examining or discussing minority ethnic groups...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Garland, Jon (Author) ; Spalek, Basia 1970- (Author) ; Chakraborti, Neil (Author)
Format: Electronic/Print Article
Language:English
Published: 2006
In: The British journal of criminology
Year: 2006, Volume: 46, Issue: 3, Pages: 423-437
Online Access: Volltext (doi)
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Availability in Tübingen:Present in Tübingen.
IFK: In: Z 7
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Keywords:
Rasse
Ethnizität
Rassismus
Auswirkungen
Kriminologische Forschung
Diskriminierung
Methodenfragen
Description
Summary:This article addresses key methodological and ethical dilemmas faced by criminologists when investigating the experiences of minority ethnic households. The paper argues that by employing broad ethnic categories, such as Black' or Asian', when examining or discussing minority ethnic groups, statutory agencies can mask the specific concerns of those diverse hidden' communities that are subsumed under such umbrella classifications. The propensity to assume that the white' condition is the normal' version of events is linked to the othering of the experiences of hard-to-reach' minority ethnic groups. The complexities of researcher subjectivities are examined and specifically the processes that lead to misleading assumptions about hidden' populations. Only by developing an understanding of the political complexities of researching such groups, and of the nature of their communities, can researchers accurately assess their specific problems
ISSN:0007-0955
DOI:10.1093/bjc/azi078