Abstract
Basic ethical principles of ethnography include the fact that the researcher familiarize the participants of the group which he intends to examine, and which he intends to become a temporary member, with his role. However, when using the auto-ethnographic method, it is often problematic to respect this principle, especially in research based predominantly on participant observation in a group where the researcher is at the same time the main protagonist.
I am thinking of a specific case of my field research, when I, (as the owner and operator of the bazaar), decided to find answers to some questions related to how people act in bazaar during bargaining or negotiation the pawn loan. This research is based, apart from evaluating my own experience, mainly on a combination of observation and interviews with customers.
Any prior notice of ongoing research (or even a request for informed approval) appears to be quite problematic in a regular interview with the customer because I deal with them primarily as the operator (the owner) and only then I evaluate whether (if all) it is possible to use something from this interaction for research purposes. I would like to discuss this question, which I have just outlined, with other researchers, and if they have some experience with a similar situation, I would like to learn how to deal with it.
If not, it may be useful to highlight this ethical issue to remind them.