A boat taking on water: Rethinking emotions and the politics of knowledge in ethnographic research with “hard-to-reach” and marginalised populations

Abstract

What can we learn from emotional challenges in research with marginalised groups? Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork with undocumented young people in Canada, I examine how difficult emotions illuminated ethical tensions in research. I show how I overcame these challenges when I shifted my approach and took a more engaged role. In this article, I call for the need to rethink emotions at an epistemological level and to reconsider them as keystones of the politics of knowledge. I argue that a reflexive approach can help researchers to examine issues of power in the field, and to create more collaborative practices. I also highlight the potential of ethnography in reversing power dynamics and ensuring reflexivity.