Difficult Choices: Application of Feminist Ethics of Care in Action Research

Abstract

This study analyses potential vulnerabilities conditioned by the pressure of an ethics of care placed on a researcher to stay empathetic with the subjects of study in action research with subcultures consisting of male-dominated groups, including how 24/7 access to social media and digital technologies augments possibilities for abuse. The author, and the subject of this chapter, is a female researcher who has conducted action research in a community of Russian hip-hop activists for a period of two years, during which she has played the double role of both project manager and researcher. The starting point of this project was to establish a horizontal organisational structure that would allow greater agency on the part of community members to influence both cultural actions and research processes. Applying auto-ethnography, the author addresses the following research questions: What are the potential implications of the use of a feminist ethics of care by a female researcher in relation to a male-dominated community when attempting to equalise power dynamics between the university and community? What kinds of problems might arise when the subjects of research overstep their agency to influence decision-making processes? How can media channels for internal communication be used (and abused) and what are the ethical implications for the researcher and the subjects of the research?