Homelessness: Methodology, Emotional Involvement and the Researcher’s Role in Sensitive Field
Research Article
How to Cite
Kuziner E.N. Homelessness: Methodology, Emotional Involvement and the Researcher’s Role in Sensitive Field. Interaction. Interview. Interpretation. 2024. Vol. 16. No. 2. P. 69-88. DOI: https://doi.org/10.19181/inter.2024.16.2.4 (in Russ.).
Abstract
The focus of the article is a research reflection on the sociologist’s work in a vulnerable sensory field, using homelessness as an example, as well as an analysis of methodological aspects of studying this phenomenon. The author draws attention to the importance of discussing the challenges and dilemmas faced by social researchers during empirical data collection, as well as the language used by researchers and practitioners in conducting interviews and presenting results, avoiding exoticization and additional problematization of groups in vulnerable positions. The article touches on the place and role of the researcher in such fields, emotional involvement and boundary building, relationships with other experts and the challenges of choosing the most appropriate methodology. The empirical basis of the article is the data of the research conducted by the author in a qualitative paradigm over several years (N= 60).
Keywords:
qualitative methods, vulnerable groups, homelessness, interviews
References
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Vinogradova G.V. (2021) The Concept of Homelessness as a Process of Personal Marginalization: Directions and Levels. Sociologiya [Sociology]. No. 3. P. 201—208. (In Russ.)
Glushko M.V. (2022) Otnoshenie sovremennoj molodezhi k prebyvaniyu bezdomnyh v rodnom gorode [The Attitudes of Modern Youth to the Stay of the Homeless in Their Hometown]. In: Vyhod v gorod [Entrance to the City]. Moscow: Moskovskij gorodskoj pedagogicheskij universitet. P. 44—51. (In Russ.)
Zinnurov A.A. (2023) Aktualnost problemy bezdomnosti dlya rossijskogo obshchestva i puti ee resheniya [The Relevance of the Problem of Homelessness for Russian Society and Ways to Solve It]. In: Strategii razvitiya obshchestva i socialnaya rabota [Strategies of Society Development and Social Work]. Rostov-on-Don: Yuzhnyj federalnyj universitet. P. 283—289. (In Russ.)
Kazakova A.U. (2010) Modern Urban Slums: A Methodology and Methodological Problems of Studying the Marginalized Groups. Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriya 18. Sociologiya i politologiya [Moscow State University Bulletin. Series 18. Sociology and Political Science]. No. 2. P. 80—90. (In Russ.)
Kovalenko E.A., Strokova E.L. (2013) Bezdomnost: est li vyhod? [Homelessness: Is there a Way Out?]. Moscow: Fond “Institut ekonomiki goroda”. (In Russ.)
Kuziner E.N. (2020) “I Will Go Home, With Home Meaning Basement”: Homeless Women’s Daily Practices and Coping Strategies. Monitoring obshchestvennogo mneniya: ekonomicheskie I socialnye peremeny [Monitoring of Public Opinion: Economic and Social Changes]. No. 4. P. 273—298. (In Russ.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.14515/monitoring.2020.4.1653
Meteleva E.R., Bogdanova G.S. (2022) Solving the Homelessness Problem: Model of Social Adaptation and Re-socialization of Homeless People in a Region. Voprosy gosudarstvennogo i municipalnogo upravleniya [Public Administration Issues]. No. 1. P. 170—192. (In Russ.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.17323/1999-5431-2022-0-1-170-192
Nizinkovskaya V.V. (2020) Puti i metody resheniya problemy bezdomnosti v Rossii [Ways and Methods of Solving the Problem of Homelessness in Russia]. In: Aktualnye problemy sovremennoj nauki: teoriya i praktika [Actual Problems of Modern Science: Theory and Practice]. Neftekamsk: Nauchno-izdatelskij centr “Mir nauki”. P. 422—424. (In Russ.)
Omelchenko E.L. (2020) “I didn’t help you in any way...”: Research Reflection After a Failed Interview. Interakciya. Intervyu. Interpretaciya. [Interaction. Interview. Interpretation]. Vol. 12. No. 1. P. 81—95. (In Russ.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.19181/inter.2020.21.5
Osinski I.I., Khabaeva I.M., Baldaeva I.B. (2003) Homeless — Social Bottom of the Society. Sociologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. No. 1. P. 53—58. (In Russ.)
Platonova N.M. (2009) Homelessness in Modern Russia: Causes and Consequences. Uchenye zapiski Sankt-Peterburgskogo gosudarstvennogo instituta psihologii i socialnoj raboty [Scientific Journal of St. Petersburg State Institute of Psychology and Social Work]. Vol. 11. No. 1. P. 56—60. (In Russ.)
Prohorov P.E., Karmanov M.V., Vasileva A.V., Egorova E.A. (2017) Metodologicheskie osnovy kolichestvennogo analiza bezdomnosti [Methodological Foundations of Quantitative Analysis of Homelessness]. Innovacionnoe razvitie rossijskoj ekonomiki [Innovative Development of the Russian Economy]. Moscow: Rossijskij ekonomicheskij universitet imeni G.V. Plehanova. P. 246—250. (In Russ.)
Talynyov V.E., Khvoin N.N. (2018) Social Register Of the Homeless in Saint-Petersburg. Vestnik Moskovskogo gosudarstvennogo lingvisticheskogo universiteta. Obshchestvennye nauki [Vestnik of Moscow State Linguistic University. Social Sciences]. No. 2. P. 264—276. (In Russ.)
Ufimceva E.I. (2017) Social Models of Overcoming Homelessness: The Russian Practice. Izvestiya Saratovskogo universiteta. Novaya seriya. Seriya Sociologiya. Politologiya [Izvestia of Saratov University. New Series. Series: Sociology. Politology]. Vol. 17. No. 3. P. 291—297. (In Russ.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.18500/1818-9601-2017-17-3-291-297
Tsatsura E.A., Klueva N.U. (2022) Socio-Demographic Characteristics, Living Conditions, and Needs of Homeless People in Moscow. Monitoring obshchestvennogo mneniya: ekonomicheskie i socialnye peremeny [Monitoring of Public Opinion: Economic and Social Changes]. No. 2. P. 409—429. (In Russ.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.14515/monitoring.2022.2.1949
Ansloos J.P., Wager A.C. (2019) Surviving in the Cracks: A Qualitative Study with Indigenous Youth on Homelessness and Applied Community Theatre. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education. Vol. 33. No. 1. P. 50—65. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2019.1678785
Bretherton J. (2020) Women’s Experiences of Homelessness: A Longitudinal Study. Social Policy and Society. Vol. 19. No. 2. P. 255—270. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1474746419000423
Bucerius S.M. (2013) Becoming a “Trusted Outsider”: Gender, Ethnicity, and Inequality in Ethnographic Research. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography. Vol. 42. No. 6. P. 690—721. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0891241613497747
Clover D. (2011) Successes and Challenges of Feminist Arts-based Participatory Methodologies With Homeless/Street-involved Women in Victoria. Action Research. Vol. 9. No. 1. P. 12—26. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1476750310396950
Heaslip V., Green S., Simkhada B., Dogan H., Richer S. (2021) How Do People Who Are Homeless Find Out about Local Health and Social Care Services: A Mixed Method Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Vol. 19. No. 1. P. 1—46. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19010046
Higgitt N., Wingert S., Ristock J., Brown M., Ballantyne M., Caett S., Coy K., Home O.G. (2003) Voices From the Margins: Experiences of Street-Involved Youth in Winnipeg. Winnipeg: Winnipeg Inner City Research Alliance.
Hordyk S.R., Soltane S.B., Hanley J. (2014) Sometimes You Have to Go Under Water to Come Up: A Poetic, Critical Realist Approach to Documenting the Voices of Homeless Immigrant Women. Qualitative Social Work. Vol. 13. No. 2. P. 203—220. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1473325013491448
Höjdestrand T. (2009) Needed by Nobody: Homelessness and Humanness in Post-Socialist Russia. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
Melnitzer S.B. (2007) Marginalization and the Homeless: A Prescriptive Analysis. Journal of Social Distress and the Homeless. Vol. 16. No. 3. P. 193—220. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1179/sdh.2007.16.3.193
Menih H. (2023) Challenges and Complexities When Researching Vulnerable Populations and Sensitive Topics: Working with Women Experiencing Violence and Homelessness. In: Fieldwork Experiences in Criminology and Security Studies: Methods, Ethics, and Emotions. Cham: Springer International Publishing. P. 119—140.
Schneider M., Brisson D., Burnes D. (2016) Do We Really Know How Many Are Homeless?: An Analysis of the Point-In-Time Homelessness Count. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services. Vol. 97. No. 4. P. 321—329. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.2016.97.39
Tsai J., Alarcón J. (2022) The Annual Homeless Point-in-Time Count: Limitations and Two Different Solutions. American Journal of Public Health. Vol. 112. No. 4. P. 633—637. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306640
Pixley C.L., Henry F.A., DeYoung S.E., Settembrino M.R. (2021) The Role of Homelessness Community Based Organizations During COVID‐19. Journal of Community Psychology. Vol. 50. No. 4. P. 1—15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22609
Rea J. (2023) Social Relationships, Stigma and Wellbeing Through Experiences of Homelessness in the United Kingdom. Journal of Social Issues. Vol. 79. No. 1. P. 465—493. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12572
Schmidt R., Hrenchuk C., Bopp J., Poole N. (2015) Trajectories of Women’s Homelessness in Canada’s 3 Northern Territories. International Journal of Circumpolar Health. Vol. 74. No. 1. P. 1—9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3402/ijch.v74.29778
Stephenson S. (2006) Crossing the Line: Vagrancy, Homelessness and Social Displacement in Russia. London: Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315258829
Watson J. (2011) Understanding Survival Sex: Young Women, Homelessness and Intimate Relationships. Journal of Youth Studies. Vol. 14. No. 6. P. 639—655. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2011.588945
Watson J. (2023) Homelessness Through a Feminist Lens. In: The Routledge Handbook of Homelessness. New York: Routledge. P. 119—129.
Watson, J. (2016) Gender-Based Violence and Young Homeless Women: Femininity, Embodiment and Vicarious Physical Capital. The Sociological Review. Vol. 64. No. 2. P. 256—273. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-954X.12365
Vinogradova G.V. (2021) The Concept of Homelessness as a Process of Personal Marginalization: Directions and Levels. Sociologiya [Sociology]. No. 3. P. 201—208. (In Russ.)
Glushko M.V. (2022) Otnoshenie sovremennoj molodezhi k prebyvaniyu bezdomnyh v rodnom gorode [The Attitudes of Modern Youth to the Stay of the Homeless in Their Hometown]. In: Vyhod v gorod [Entrance to the City]. Moscow: Moskovskij gorodskoj pedagogicheskij universitet. P. 44—51. (In Russ.)
Zinnurov A.A. (2023) Aktualnost problemy bezdomnosti dlya rossijskogo obshchestva i puti ee resheniya [The Relevance of the Problem of Homelessness for Russian Society and Ways to Solve It]. In: Strategii razvitiya obshchestva i socialnaya rabota [Strategies of Society Development and Social Work]. Rostov-on-Don: Yuzhnyj federalnyj universitet. P. 283—289. (In Russ.)
Kazakova A.U. (2010) Modern Urban Slums: A Methodology and Methodological Problems of Studying the Marginalized Groups. Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriya 18. Sociologiya i politologiya [Moscow State University Bulletin. Series 18. Sociology and Political Science]. No. 2. P. 80—90. (In Russ.)
Kovalenko E.A., Strokova E.L. (2013) Bezdomnost: est li vyhod? [Homelessness: Is there a Way Out?]. Moscow: Fond “Institut ekonomiki goroda”. (In Russ.)
Kuziner E.N. (2020) “I Will Go Home, With Home Meaning Basement”: Homeless Women’s Daily Practices and Coping Strategies. Monitoring obshchestvennogo mneniya: ekonomicheskie I socialnye peremeny [Monitoring of Public Opinion: Economic and Social Changes]. No. 4. P. 273—298. (In Russ.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.14515/monitoring.2020.4.1653
Meteleva E.R., Bogdanova G.S. (2022) Solving the Homelessness Problem: Model of Social Adaptation and Re-socialization of Homeless People in a Region. Voprosy gosudarstvennogo i municipalnogo upravleniya [Public Administration Issues]. No. 1. P. 170—192. (In Russ.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.17323/1999-5431-2022-0-1-170-192
Nizinkovskaya V.V. (2020) Puti i metody resheniya problemy bezdomnosti v Rossii [Ways and Methods of Solving the Problem of Homelessness in Russia]. In: Aktualnye problemy sovremennoj nauki: teoriya i praktika [Actual Problems of Modern Science: Theory and Practice]. Neftekamsk: Nauchno-izdatelskij centr “Mir nauki”. P. 422—424. (In Russ.)
Omelchenko E.L. (2020) “I didn’t help you in any way...”: Research Reflection After a Failed Interview. Interakciya. Intervyu. Interpretaciya. [Interaction. Interview. Interpretation]. Vol. 12. No. 1. P. 81—95. (In Russ.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.19181/inter.2020.21.5
Osinski I.I., Khabaeva I.M., Baldaeva I.B. (2003) Homeless — Social Bottom of the Society. Sociologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. No. 1. P. 53—58. (In Russ.)
Platonova N.M. (2009) Homelessness in Modern Russia: Causes and Consequences. Uchenye zapiski Sankt-Peterburgskogo gosudarstvennogo instituta psihologii i socialnoj raboty [Scientific Journal of St. Petersburg State Institute of Psychology and Social Work]. Vol. 11. No. 1. P. 56—60. (In Russ.)
Prohorov P.E., Karmanov M.V., Vasileva A.V., Egorova E.A. (2017) Metodologicheskie osnovy kolichestvennogo analiza bezdomnosti [Methodological Foundations of Quantitative Analysis of Homelessness]. Innovacionnoe razvitie rossijskoj ekonomiki [Innovative Development of the Russian Economy]. Moscow: Rossijskij ekonomicheskij universitet imeni G.V. Plehanova. P. 246—250. (In Russ.)
Talynyov V.E., Khvoin N.N. (2018) Social Register Of the Homeless in Saint-Petersburg. Vestnik Moskovskogo gosudarstvennogo lingvisticheskogo universiteta. Obshchestvennye nauki [Vestnik of Moscow State Linguistic University. Social Sciences]. No. 2. P. 264—276. (In Russ.)
Ufimceva E.I. (2017) Social Models of Overcoming Homelessness: The Russian Practice. Izvestiya Saratovskogo universiteta. Novaya seriya. Seriya Sociologiya. Politologiya [Izvestia of Saratov University. New Series. Series: Sociology. Politology]. Vol. 17. No. 3. P. 291—297. (In Russ.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.18500/1818-9601-2017-17-3-291-297
Tsatsura E.A., Klueva N.U. (2022) Socio-Demographic Characteristics, Living Conditions, and Needs of Homeless People in Moscow. Monitoring obshchestvennogo mneniya: ekonomicheskie i socialnye peremeny [Monitoring of Public Opinion: Economic and Social Changes]. No. 2. P. 409—429. (In Russ.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.14515/monitoring.2022.2.1949
Ansloos J.P., Wager A.C. (2019) Surviving in the Cracks: A Qualitative Study with Indigenous Youth on Homelessness and Applied Community Theatre. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education. Vol. 33. No. 1. P. 50—65. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2019.1678785
Bretherton J. (2020) Women’s Experiences of Homelessness: A Longitudinal Study. Social Policy and Society. Vol. 19. No. 2. P. 255—270. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1474746419000423
Bucerius S.M. (2013) Becoming a “Trusted Outsider”: Gender, Ethnicity, and Inequality in Ethnographic Research. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography. Vol. 42. No. 6. P. 690—721. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0891241613497747
Clover D. (2011) Successes and Challenges of Feminist Arts-based Participatory Methodologies With Homeless/Street-involved Women in Victoria. Action Research. Vol. 9. No. 1. P. 12—26. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1476750310396950
Heaslip V., Green S., Simkhada B., Dogan H., Richer S. (2021) How Do People Who Are Homeless Find Out about Local Health and Social Care Services: A Mixed Method Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Vol. 19. No. 1. P. 1—46. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19010046
Higgitt N., Wingert S., Ristock J., Brown M., Ballantyne M., Caett S., Coy K., Home O.G. (2003) Voices From the Margins: Experiences of Street-Involved Youth in Winnipeg. Winnipeg: Winnipeg Inner City Research Alliance.
Hordyk S.R., Soltane S.B., Hanley J. (2014) Sometimes You Have to Go Under Water to Come Up: A Poetic, Critical Realist Approach to Documenting the Voices of Homeless Immigrant Women. Qualitative Social Work. Vol. 13. No. 2. P. 203—220. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1473325013491448
Höjdestrand T. (2009) Needed by Nobody: Homelessness and Humanness in Post-Socialist Russia. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
Melnitzer S.B. (2007) Marginalization and the Homeless: A Prescriptive Analysis. Journal of Social Distress and the Homeless. Vol. 16. No. 3. P. 193—220. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1179/sdh.2007.16.3.193
Menih H. (2023) Challenges and Complexities When Researching Vulnerable Populations and Sensitive Topics: Working with Women Experiencing Violence and Homelessness. In: Fieldwork Experiences in Criminology and Security Studies: Methods, Ethics, and Emotions. Cham: Springer International Publishing. P. 119—140.
Schneider M., Brisson D., Burnes D. (2016) Do We Really Know How Many Are Homeless?: An Analysis of the Point-In-Time Homelessness Count. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services. Vol. 97. No. 4. P. 321—329. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.2016.97.39
Tsai J., Alarcón J. (2022) The Annual Homeless Point-in-Time Count: Limitations and Two Different Solutions. American Journal of Public Health. Vol. 112. No. 4. P. 633—637. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306640
Pixley C.L., Henry F.A., DeYoung S.E., Settembrino M.R. (2021) The Role of Homelessness Community Based Organizations During COVID‐19. Journal of Community Psychology. Vol. 50. No. 4. P. 1—15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22609
Rea J. (2023) Social Relationships, Stigma and Wellbeing Through Experiences of Homelessness in the United Kingdom. Journal of Social Issues. Vol. 79. No. 1. P. 465—493. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12572
Schmidt R., Hrenchuk C., Bopp J., Poole N. (2015) Trajectories of Women’s Homelessness in Canada’s 3 Northern Territories. International Journal of Circumpolar Health. Vol. 74. No. 1. P. 1—9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3402/ijch.v74.29778
Stephenson S. (2006) Crossing the Line: Vagrancy, Homelessness and Social Displacement in Russia. London: Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315258829
Watson J. (2011) Understanding Survival Sex: Young Women, Homelessness and Intimate Relationships. Journal of Youth Studies. Vol. 14. No. 6. P. 639—655. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2011.588945
Watson J. (2023) Homelessness Through a Feminist Lens. In: The Routledge Handbook of Homelessness. New York: Routledge. P. 119—129.
Watson, J. (2016) Gender-Based Violence and Young Homeless Women: Femininity, Embodiment and Vicarious Physical Capital. The Sociological Review. Vol. 64. No. 2. P. 256—273. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-954X.12365
Article
Received: 03.04.2024
Accepted: 26.06.2024
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APA
Kuziner, E. N. (2024). Homelessness: Methodology, Emotional Involvement and the Researcher’s Role in Sensitive Field. Interaction. Interview. Interpretation, 16(2), 69-88. https://doi.org/10.19181/inter.2024.16.2.4
Section
Research Reflection
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