Researching Lived Islam as an Evangelical Anglican Minister
How Truthful, how Forthright and how Static should I be?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/firn.v10i1.24543Keywords:
Insider-Outsider, Islam, ChristianityAbstract
The article examines the impact of the researcher’s own faith tradition on research done with those of a different faith tradition. It questions the extent to which personal identity and individual convictions impact upon the approach taken to fieldwork. Two specific questions examined are how truthful about intentions and how forthright regarding personal views a researcher should be when engaged in fieldwork. In the third main section, the question of how the experience of fieldwork might impact a researcher’s personal beliefs is discussed.
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References
Astley, J. 2002 Ordinary Theology: Looking, Listening and Learning in Theology. Ashgate, Farnham.
Astley, J., and L. J. Francis (eds) 2013 Exploring Ordinary Theology: Everyday Christian Believing and the Church. Ashgate, Farnham.
Bell, S., and C. Chapman 2011 Between Naivety and Hostility: Uncovering the Best Christian Responses to Islam in Britain. Authentic Media, Milton Keynes.
BERA 2011 Ethical Guidelines for Educational Research. British Educational Research Association, London.
Bridges, D. 2009 Education and the Possibility of Outsider Understanding. Ethics and Education, 4(2): 105-123. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17449640903326714
BSA 2002 Statement of Ethical Practice for the British Sociological Association. British Sociological Association, Durham.
Calvey, D. 2008 The Art and Politics of Covert Research: Doing “Situated Ethics” in the Field. Sociology, 42(5): 905-918. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0038038508094569
Chryssides, G. D., and R. Geaves 2014 The Study of Religion: An Introduction to Key Ideas and Methods. 2nd ed. Bloomsbury, London.
Coffey, A. 1999 The Ethnographic Self: Fieldwork and the Representation of Identity. Sage, London.
Collins, P. 2002 Connecting Anthropology and Quakerism: Transcending the Insider/Outsider Dichotomy. In Theorizing Faith: The Insider/Outsider Problem in the Study of Ritual, edited by E. Arweck and M. D. Stringer, 77-96. Birmingham University Press, Birmingham.
Dennis, B. 2010 Ethical Dilemmas in the Field: the Complex Nature of Doing Education Ethnography. Ethnography and Education, 5(2): 123-27. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17457823.2010.493391
Donovan, P. 1999 Neutrality in Religious Studies. In The Insider/Outsider Problem in the Study of Religion, edited by R. T. McCutcheon, 235-47. Continuum, London.
Hammersley, M., and P. Atkinson 2007 Ethnography: Principles in Practice. Routledge, London.
Haw, K. 2010 Being, Becoming and Belonging: Young Muslim Women in Contemporary Britain. Journal of Intercultural Studies, 31(4): 345-61. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07256868.2010.491273
Holden, A. 2009 Religious Cohesion in Times of Conflict: Christian-Muslim Relations in Segregated Towns. Continuum, London.
Hufford, D. J. 1999 The Scholarly Voice and the Personal Voice: Reflexivity in Belief Studies. In The Insider/Outsider Problem in the Study of Religion, edited by R. T. McCutcheon, 294-310. Continuum, London.
Irvine, R. D. G. 2010 The Experience of Ethnographic Fieldwork in an English Benedictine Monastery: Or, Not Playing at Being a Monk. Fieldwork in Religion, 5(2): 221-35.
Knibbe, K. et al. 2011 Why Participation Matters to Understand Ritual Experience. Fieldwork in Religion, 6(2): 104-119.
Lobetti, T. 2010 Fieldwork and Pain: Issues in Field Research Methodologies Involving Extreme Field Conditions. Fieldwork in Religion, 5(2): 144-61.
Longkumer, A. 2009 Exploring the Diversity of Religion: The Geo-political Dimensions of Fieldwork and Identity in the North East of India. Fieldwork in Religion, 4(1): 46-66.
MacIntyre, A. 1999 Is Understanding Religion Compatible with Believing. In The Insider/Outsider Problem in the Study of Religion, edited by R. T. McCutcheon, 37-49. Continuum, London.
Marcus, G. E. 1998 Ethnography through Thick and Thin. Princeton University Press, Princeton.
MCB 2007 Towards Greater Understanding: Meeting the Needs of Muslim Pupils in State Schools. The Muslim Council of Britain, London.
Merriam, S. B. et al. 2001 Power and Positionality: Negotiating Insider/Outsider Status within and across Cultures. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 20(5): 405-416. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02601370120490
Mézié, N. 2010 “Wi, se kretyènn mwen ye” (Yes, I am a Christian): Methodological Falsehood in Fieldwork. Fieldwork in Religion, 5(2): 180-92.
Milner, H. 1999 Body Ritual among the Nacirema. In The Insider/Outsider Problem in the Study of Religion: A Reader, edited by R. T. McCutcheon, 23-27. Continuum, London.
Narayan, K. 1993 How Native is a “Native” Anthropologist? American Anthropological Association, 95(3): 671-86. http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/aa.1993.95.3.02a00070
Newbigin, L. 1989 The Gospel in a Pluralist Society. SPCK, London.
Pearson, G. 2009 The Researcher as Hooligan: Where “Participant” Observation Means Breaking the Law. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 12(3): 243-55. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13645570701804250
Petticrew, M. et al. 2007 Covert Observation in Practice: Lessons from the Evaluation of the Prohibition of Smoking in Public Places in Scotland. BMC Public Health, 7: 204. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-7-204
Ramadan, T. 2009 Radical Reform: Islamic Ethics and Liberation. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Scharen, C., and A. M. Vigen (eds) 2011 Ethnography as Christian Theology and Ethics. Continuum, London.
Sen, A. 2006 Identity and Violence. Penguin, London.
Stringer, M. D. 2002 Introduction: Theorizing Faith. In Theorizing Faith: The Insider/Outsider Problem in the Study of Ritual, edited by E. Arweck and M. D. Stringer, 1-20. University of Birmingham Press, Birmingham.
Swinton, J., and H. Mowat 2006 Practical Theology and Qualitative Research. SCM Press, London.
Thiessen, E. 2011 The Ethics of Evangelism: A Philosophical Defence of Ethical Proselytizing and Persuasion. Paternoster, Milton Keynes.
Trzebiatowska, M. 2010 When Reflexivity is Not Enough: Doing Research with Polish Catholics. Fieldwork in Religion, 5(1): 78-96. http://dx.doi.org/10.1558/firn.v5i1.78
Waterhouse, H. 2002 Insider/Outsider Perspectives on Ritual in Soka Gakkai International-UK. In Theorizing Faith: The Insider/Outsider Problem in the Study of Ritual, edited by E. Arweck and M. D. Stringer, 57-76. Birmingham University Press, Birmingham.
Wiebe, D. 1999 Does Understanding Religion Require Religious Understanding? In The Insider/Outsider Problem in the Study of Religion, edited by R. T. McCutcheon, 260-73. Continuum, London.
Wilson, T. 2014 “It’s a bit cool and awesome”: Using Liverpool’s Muslim Heritage to Help Muslim Pupils Learn how to “Translate” their Faith in the Liverpool of Today. Fieldwork in Religion, 9(2): 182-201. http://dx.doi.org/10.1558/firn.v9i2.13437
Wolf, M. 1999 Writing Ethnography: The Poetics and Politics of Culture. In The Insider/Outsider Problem in the Study of Religion: A Reader, edited by R. T. McCutcheon, 354-63. Continuum, London.
Astley, J., and L. J. Francis (eds) 2013 Exploring Ordinary Theology: Everyday Christian Believing and the Church. Ashgate, Farnham.
Bell, S., and C. Chapman 2011 Between Naivety and Hostility: Uncovering the Best Christian Responses to Islam in Britain. Authentic Media, Milton Keynes.
BERA 2011 Ethical Guidelines for Educational Research. British Educational Research Association, London.
Bridges, D. 2009 Education and the Possibility of Outsider Understanding. Ethics and Education, 4(2): 105-123. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17449640903326714
BSA 2002 Statement of Ethical Practice for the British Sociological Association. British Sociological Association, Durham.
Calvey, D. 2008 The Art and Politics of Covert Research: Doing “Situated Ethics” in the Field. Sociology, 42(5): 905-918. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0038038508094569
Chryssides, G. D., and R. Geaves 2014 The Study of Religion: An Introduction to Key Ideas and Methods. 2nd ed. Bloomsbury, London.
Coffey, A. 1999 The Ethnographic Self: Fieldwork and the Representation of Identity. Sage, London.
Collins, P. 2002 Connecting Anthropology and Quakerism: Transcending the Insider/Outsider Dichotomy. In Theorizing Faith: The Insider/Outsider Problem in the Study of Ritual, edited by E. Arweck and M. D. Stringer, 77-96. Birmingham University Press, Birmingham.
Dennis, B. 2010 Ethical Dilemmas in the Field: the Complex Nature of Doing Education Ethnography. Ethnography and Education, 5(2): 123-27. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17457823.2010.493391
Donovan, P. 1999 Neutrality in Religious Studies. In The Insider/Outsider Problem in the Study of Religion, edited by R. T. McCutcheon, 235-47. Continuum, London.
Hammersley, M., and P. Atkinson 2007 Ethnography: Principles in Practice. Routledge, London.
Haw, K. 2010 Being, Becoming and Belonging: Young Muslim Women in Contemporary Britain. Journal of Intercultural Studies, 31(4): 345-61. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07256868.2010.491273
Holden, A. 2009 Religious Cohesion in Times of Conflict: Christian-Muslim Relations in Segregated Towns. Continuum, London.
Hufford, D. J. 1999 The Scholarly Voice and the Personal Voice: Reflexivity in Belief Studies. In The Insider/Outsider Problem in the Study of Religion, edited by R. T. McCutcheon, 294-310. Continuum, London.
Irvine, R. D. G. 2010 The Experience of Ethnographic Fieldwork in an English Benedictine Monastery: Or, Not Playing at Being a Monk. Fieldwork in Religion, 5(2): 221-35.
Knibbe, K. et al. 2011 Why Participation Matters to Understand Ritual Experience. Fieldwork in Religion, 6(2): 104-119.
Lobetti, T. 2010 Fieldwork and Pain: Issues in Field Research Methodologies Involving Extreme Field Conditions. Fieldwork in Religion, 5(2): 144-61.
Longkumer, A. 2009 Exploring the Diversity of Religion: The Geo-political Dimensions of Fieldwork and Identity in the North East of India. Fieldwork in Religion, 4(1): 46-66.
MacIntyre, A. 1999 Is Understanding Religion Compatible with Believing. In The Insider/Outsider Problem in the Study of Religion, edited by R. T. McCutcheon, 37-49. Continuum, London.
Marcus, G. E. 1998 Ethnography through Thick and Thin. Princeton University Press, Princeton.
MCB 2007 Towards Greater Understanding: Meeting the Needs of Muslim Pupils in State Schools. The Muslim Council of Britain, London.
Merriam, S. B. et al. 2001 Power and Positionality: Negotiating Insider/Outsider Status within and across Cultures. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 20(5): 405-416. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02601370120490
Mézié, N. 2010 “Wi, se kretyènn mwen ye” (Yes, I am a Christian): Methodological Falsehood in Fieldwork. Fieldwork in Religion, 5(2): 180-92.
Milner, H. 1999 Body Ritual among the Nacirema. In The Insider/Outsider Problem in the Study of Religion: A Reader, edited by R. T. McCutcheon, 23-27. Continuum, London.
Narayan, K. 1993 How Native is a “Native” Anthropologist? American Anthropological Association, 95(3): 671-86. http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/aa.1993.95.3.02a00070
Newbigin, L. 1989 The Gospel in a Pluralist Society. SPCK, London.
Pearson, G. 2009 The Researcher as Hooligan: Where “Participant” Observation Means Breaking the Law. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 12(3): 243-55. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13645570701804250
Petticrew, M. et al. 2007 Covert Observation in Practice: Lessons from the Evaluation of the Prohibition of Smoking in Public Places in Scotland. BMC Public Health, 7: 204. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-7-204
Ramadan, T. 2009 Radical Reform: Islamic Ethics and Liberation. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Scharen, C., and A. M. Vigen (eds) 2011 Ethnography as Christian Theology and Ethics. Continuum, London.
Sen, A. 2006 Identity and Violence. Penguin, London.
Stringer, M. D. 2002 Introduction: Theorizing Faith. In Theorizing Faith: The Insider/Outsider Problem in the Study of Ritual, edited by E. Arweck and M. D. Stringer, 1-20. University of Birmingham Press, Birmingham.
Swinton, J., and H. Mowat 2006 Practical Theology and Qualitative Research. SCM Press, London.
Thiessen, E. 2011 The Ethics of Evangelism: A Philosophical Defence of Ethical Proselytizing and Persuasion. Paternoster, Milton Keynes.
Trzebiatowska, M. 2010 When Reflexivity is Not Enough: Doing Research with Polish Catholics. Fieldwork in Religion, 5(1): 78-96. http://dx.doi.org/10.1558/firn.v5i1.78
Waterhouse, H. 2002 Insider/Outsider Perspectives on Ritual in Soka Gakkai International-UK. In Theorizing Faith: The Insider/Outsider Problem in the Study of Ritual, edited by E. Arweck and M. D. Stringer, 57-76. Birmingham University Press, Birmingham.
Wiebe, D. 1999 Does Understanding Religion Require Religious Understanding? In The Insider/Outsider Problem in the Study of Religion, edited by R. T. McCutcheon, 260-73. Continuum, London.
Wilson, T. 2014 “It’s a bit cool and awesome”: Using Liverpool’s Muslim Heritage to Help Muslim Pupils Learn how to “Translate” their Faith in the Liverpool of Today. Fieldwork in Religion, 9(2): 182-201. http://dx.doi.org/10.1558/firn.v9i2.13437
Wolf, M. 1999 Writing Ethnography: The Poetics and Politics of Culture. In The Insider/Outsider Problem in the Study of Religion: A Reader, edited by R. T. McCutcheon, 354-63. Continuum, London.
Published
2016-01-15
Issue
Section
Articles
How to Cite
Wilson, T. (2016). Researching Lived Islam as an Evangelical Anglican Minister: How Truthful, how Forthright and how Static should I be?. Fieldwork in Religion, 10(1), 97-114. https://doi.org/10.1558/firn.v10i1.24543
