After cultural competency: research practice and moral experience in the study of brand pirates and tobacco farmers

This article explores the value of ethnographic methods in identifying and addressing ethical issues in qualitative research on stigmatized populations. Examples come from two anthropological projects carried out in populations where stigmatized and illicit activities are prevalent: tobacco farmers in the USA and brand pirates in Guatemala. In both cases preliminary ethnographic research proved essential to understanding potential ethical dilemmas and tailoring research practice to avoid stigmatization. Cultural competency is discussed as a useful concept for approaching ethical issues in the study of stigmatized populations, especially when complemented by ethnographic attention to moral experience, the values, meanings, and relationships that are at stake within a given population. Complicating the professional meaning and application of approaches to research ethics, including cultural competency, that privilege formal research techniques and formal ethical guidelines, our case studies describe ethnography as a process involving interpersonal skills, learning through participation, and situational ethics. Critical reflection on ethnography as process is relevant to debates about institutional review and research ethics and points to the need for enriched professional training and ethical reflection on the social skills amenable to effective and responsible field research.