Ethics in – and after – social justice research with marginalized youth

Abstract

In this article, I look back on the work with my Ph.D. thesis on the school as a space of opportunity for vulnerable ethnic-racialized minority students (Lagermann, 2014). In this connection, I look at how ethics related to working with this subject area differs from – and is much more than formalized and standardized guidelines for research ethics. In my research, which is part of the tradition of Social Justice studies, ethics is as much about the critical (scientific) theoretical and methodological apparatus used during the work on the research, as it is about what Swartz (2011) describes as 'reciprocal ethics'; to give something back. In conclusion, I point out how giving back after the end of the fieldwork, in a socially just perspective, is not only about giving back to the concrete young people but equally about giving back – in the form of knowledge and help for action – to the professionals who surround the young people.

Keywords:

Ethics; social justice; qualitative research; marginalization; youth