In Whose Interests?

Doing qualitative research in cross-cultural settings presents both researchers and those being researched with a number of ethical challenges. Researchers’ cultural identities and academic interests intersect with the values, interests, and cultures of those who are the focus of their inquiries. Relations between cultures are situated within historic, economic, and political contexts that can complicate researchers’ presumptions about the beneficial impacts of their research. This chapter chronicles one researcher’s experiences with the ethical challenges he encountered while working across cultures, including the Rastafari in Jamaica and First Nations peoples in Canada.