Ethnographer’s Bias: Cultivating Reflexivity

Abstract

Ethnographic researchers enter their field with already existing preconceptions which inevitably arise from their own personal and professional histories and training. This article focuses on the researcher’s subjectivity, reflexivity, and possible sources of bias. After sharing her own experience with bias during field-research, the author invites the reader to think critically over their own research designs. This paper introduces three practical approaches towards reflexivity in social science: searching for the potential sources of our bias; questioning ourselves throughout the research process; and a collective approach.