ABSTRACT

As researchers, institution-wide regulatory and organisational cultures guide our work. Over the past two decades, University Research Ethics Committees have been formally established across social science disciplines. However, the functioning of these committees has not been without critique. It is often argued that established ethical procedures informed by the medical sciences do not fit well with the more iterative epistemologies and unpredictable practices of doing social fieldwork. In this paper, I contribute to these discussions by considering what a further framework, a ‘culture of care’, might offer to university research ethics. A culture of care has evolved in contexts like the National Health Service (NHS) and animal research, and makes central claims around support, openness, collaboration and relationships. Bringing this to research ethics, I explore experiences of care through moments of friction in doing fieldwork with people living with Motor Neurone Disease. Identifying gaps between the institutional, personal and relational, I tentatively suggest some key features that a culture of care for research ethics might seek to develop. These discussions are also timely. Wider conversations emerging around reimagining research cultures in higher education provide an opportune moment to consider what a reimagined research ethics might look like and offer too.

摘要

作为研究人员，机构范围内的监管和组织文化指导着我们的工作。在过去的二十年里，跨社会科学学科的大学研究伦理委员会已经正式成立。然而，这些委员会的运作并非没有批评。人们经常争辩说，由医学科学告知的既定伦理程序不适合进行社会田野调查的更多迭代认识论和不可预测的实践。在这篇论文中，我通过考虑进一步的框架，即“关怀文化”，可能为大学研究伦理提供什么来为这些讨论做出贡献。护理文化在国家卫生服务 (NHS) 和动物研究等环境中得到发展，并围绕支持、开放、协作和关系提出核心主张。将此带入研究伦理学，我通过与运动神经元疾病患者进行实地考察时的摩擦时刻来探索护理体验。确定机构、个人和关系之间的差距，我初步提出了一些关键特征，关注研究伦理的文化可能会寻求发展。这些讨论也很及时。围绕重新构想高等教育研究文化的更广泛对话提供了一个合适的时机来考虑重新构想的研究伦理可能是什么样子并提供什么。我暂时提出一些关键特征，关注研究伦理的文化可能会寻求发展。这些讨论也很及时。围绕重新构想高等教育研究文化的更广泛对话提供了一个合适的时机来考虑重新构想的研究伦理可能是什么样子并提供什么。我暂时提出一些关键特征，关注研究伦理的文化可能会寻求发展。这些讨论也很及时。围绕重新构想高等教育研究文化的更广泛对话提供了一个合适的时机来考虑重新构想的研究伦理可能是什么样子并提供什么。