Here are some ethical community engagement best practices to help guide the project.
I've chosen to work with 100 women and mothers in what is called Nelson, BC and as such, the overarching experimental Artistic Anthropology project goal is EMANCIPATION OF VOICE. ETHIC 1: Research must be in service of the community I have chosen to work with—and which is willing to work with me.
ETHIC 2: The activity should yield knowledge useful and requested or wanted by participants hopefully yielding [actionable] contributions. For instance: as a rurally living woman and mother what would you like to know more about in relation to yourselves, the society you are living in and the systems that operate within it? Or, what are your day-to-day pre-occupations?
ETHIC 3: The relationship should be collegial, consensual and collaborative. e.g. being of service in supporting people to document their own stories, for instance through the use of handwritten notes, audio recordings, transcription, and other means.
ETHIC 4: All work must pass under the scrutiny and approval of the people whose lives are being documented.
ETHIC 5: Any method that leads to the emancipation of voice for/by the people being documented - as well as those who are documenting themselves - would fall under the heading of decolonizing approaches in contrast with approaches which would appropriate voice.
These are relatively new practices and I am excited to explore these possibilities. Together = Better.
Justice, Equity, Diversity, Belonging and Accessibility-JEDBA Practices
These JEDBA practices are based on the values of justice, equity, belonging, and accessibility. Equitable community engagement encourages and facilitates participation by individuals facing systemic barriers to employment, housing, and other human rights including Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour (IBPOC), new Canadians, persons with visible or invisible disabilities, and individuals who identify as LGBTQIA2S+.
Therefore I consider my own positionality and the impact of systemic barriers in crafting the project's approach.
Consent & Safety
Informed consent is a thing renewed and the terms must be explicit regarding: purpose, degree of involvement, voluntariness, confidentiality, data use, risks, prior knowledge of those who will be handling your information, how data will be stored and archived or disposed of, and how to easily reverse consent.
Emotional safety will be supported by trauma-informed practices and renewable consent throughout.
What would that look like in this project? Trauma-informed practice is about carrying calm and safety with me as I join fellow parents with a few clear and empowering invitations and gentle words. It means cultivating a steady, supportive presence as others recognize their own strength at their own pace in the telling of their story. Instead of rushing or fixing, it’s about holding space for a share along with an inner honouring of the growth and resilience in each story.
Quietly walking alongside each person’s journey - including my own - and spending time in creative contemplation of it is a privilege not taken lightly.
A Word on Post-Colonial Cultural Anthropology
This is a critical approach to studying culture that focuses on the effects of globalism and digital technology, while also examining and challenging areas of inequality, power, and control.
The ethnographic focus - if there were one - for 100 Women | 100 Oceans - is to emancipate and amplify the voices of lived experience of 100 West Kootenay women and mothers in this rural culture, at this time, from different intersections and positionalities.
If this project has an aspiration it is this: to engage in experimental artistic ethnography, a research method that combines art and ethnographic research to study human experiences and culture. It challenges traditional boundaries between art and exploitative knowledge production while prioritizing being of service to the community in ways that are meaningful and actionable for that community.
Ethics of Truth Telling
"The principles in the AAA (American Anthropological Association) code of ethics include: do no harm; be open and honest regarding your work; obtain informed consent and necessary permissions; ensure the vulnerable populations in every study are protected from competing ethical obligations; make your results accessible; protect and preserve your records; and maintain respectful and ethical professional relationships. These principles sound simple, but can be complicated in practice".
