New standards for social practice ethics?

Ethnographic research about gang-exit processes and formers’ ¹ identity transformation gives rise to the emancipatory question of how research can make a difference in practice. Social practice ethics is a way of reflecting on the difference research can make in, for and to practice in relation to the meanings and consequences of research. Drawing on empirical cases, I argue that institutionalized, conventional ethical standards need to be reformulated by situating ethics in relation to the specific social practices that are being researched. Social practice ethics are discussed in relation to conventional ethical standards, such as anonymity, informed consent and secure data storage. The chapter illustrates how these conventional ethical standards sometimes have to be negotiated and developed based on the dilemmas, possibilities and interests of the co-researchers and reflected in relation to common societal interests. I present cases of research practices where the ethical imperative shifts from anonymity to recognition, from signed informed consent to a researcher codex and situated informed consent and from secure data storage to situated dialogue about reducing risks and expanding action possibilities and meanings in and for practice.