In a couple of fieldwork related presentations in late November, which dealt with somewhat similar material, I received quite contradictory feedback. I had a very strong challenge from a few folks who thought it was inappropriate – in the sense of ethically problematic – for me to present things like this without being more critical of the people being discussed – without making a stronger sort of moral condemnation of the events described. I also had a couple of people insist that – regardless of what I claimed to be doing – I was in fact clearly suggesting that I wanted readers to make a condemning moral judgment – and who then suggested that I was abusing my relationship with my “informants” by describing them in such an unflattering light.

My sense is that either my writing must have been quite inadequate, or the second lot of folks must have read their own critical reaction into my text – I think the first lot were closer to the mark in perceiving that I’m not particularly taking up a critical attitude toward the people I’m writing about. I’m still a bit confused over the demand that it’s somehow incumbent on me to be critical (critical, in this case, in the sense of making a moral judgment, rather than in the sense of being analytical) when I discuss my field material: the way in which this was expressed in the Q&A after my presentations was in terms of the need for me to “take sides” – “what side are you on?”

I’m extremely ambivalent about this demand, partially because I use the field material, largely, to illustrate dynamics that I think transcend the situations being described – I lift specific field material up for examination precisely because it casts light on a conflictual dynamic – the stories and the people on whom I focus are, as a result, rarely easy to interpret in a one-sided way – as “good” or “bad” people… I was a bit surprised, to be honest, at the level of criticism this drew down (not that, overall, I received a lot of criticism for my presentations – the response was generally quite positive – it was just that, before I had presented, I would never have expected that this would be the specific issue that drew fire)…

I should apologise, as my comments here don’t relate in any direct way to your own – please hear this as my taking the opportunity to reflect on my interlocutors from some months back, rather than as my hearing their positions in your comment… It’s just something I’m trying to understand, in thinking about how I want to use field material in further writing…

Good for you for capturing this moment in print.