ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author explores the ethical continuum through a reflection on her own “identity work” during her fieldwork, considering how the ethics of doing covert research are always complex, situated and political. She considers how the power dynamics within the organization are closely interlaced with the extent of her non-disclosure and her closeness to the research participants. Drawing on the concept of reflexive ethics, the author considers how her own process of becoming an ethical researcher is embedded in the research process itself, thus her identity and ethics are co-constructed through research practice. The ethical conduct of a researcher is an inescapable and integral part of research practice. Labelling covert research as unethical is reductive of the complexity of the social world and urges a move towards ethics that are located in the context of the research.
