Ethical and methodological challenges for a lawyer facing fieldwork amidst the working poor

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.12804/revistas.urosario.edu.co/sociojuridicos/a.7627

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Published: Jul 2, 2019
Issue: Vol. 21 No. 2 (2019)
Section Papers


Keywords: ethnographic fieldwork , poor workers , labor law , qualitative methods. etnografía , trabajadores pobres , derecho laboral , métodos cualitativos , etnografia , trabalhadores pobres , direito laboral , métodos qualitativos

Main Article Content

Authors

  Laura Cecilia Porras Santanilla Universidad del Rosario
Abstract

In this paper I will reflect on six different challenges that I had to face as a Colombian lawyer who conducted eighteen months of ethnographic fieldwork with poor workers in the localities of Ciudad Bolívar and Suba in Bogotá. Specifically, I will reflect on the topics of accessing a new field, being an outsider, dealing with personal characteristics that influence data collection (such as gender and age), working under psychologically and physically overwhelming circumstances, dealing with the risk of confirming negative stereotypes about vulnerable populations, and doing interdisciplinary work. In doing so, I will engage and build on the literature published by scholars from different disciplines who explore in different ways the difficulties they encountered while conducting fieldwork with vulnerable populations. Ultimately, my goal is also to encourage lawyers who work addressing social problems and pursue an academic career, to take the time and risk to conduct the rewarding adventure of fieldwork. 

Author Biography

Laura Cecilia Porras Santanilla, Universidad del Rosario

Abogada de la Universidad de los Andes con Especialización en Derecho Administrativo y Maestría de la Universidad de los Andes. PhD en derecho de la Universidad de Ottawa. Profesora asistente de carrera de la Universidad del Rosario.
How to Cite
Porras Santanilla, L. C. (2019). Ethical and methodological challenges for a lawyer facing fieldwork amidst the working poor. Estudios Socio-Jurídicos, 21(2). https://doi.org/10.12804/revistas.urosario.edu.co/sociojuridicos/a.7627
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