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APPENDIX 1
SABRE1
An Ethical Code for Researching 'Race', Racism & Anti-racism in Scotland (SABRE, 2001)
The Context
The Scottish Executive has recently stated its commitment to address the recommendations of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry. Amongst the various initiatives that it has promoted is one relating to the future of research concerning minority ethnic communities in Scotland. The Scottish Executive Central Research Unit held a conference in March 2000 and subsequently published the report, Researching Ethnic Minorities in Scotland (SECRU, 2000). This highlighted a number of concerns, including the criticism that researchers and funders had failed to acknowledge the existence of institutional racism in mainstream social research. Black researchers present argued that this was in part due to the absence of an ethical code for researching 'race' in Scotland, i.e., an explicit acknowledgement of the impact of racism in mainstream conceptual frameworks and research methodologies and how this might be addressed in future. A symposium of black researchers subsequently met and has developed An Ethical Code for Researching 'Race', Racism & Anti-racism in Scotland (SABRE, 2001). The code is intended to contribute to the developing discourse on anti-racist research and to promote good practice, in the light of the implementation of the recent Amendment Bill to the Race Relations Act (2000).
Whom is the Code intended for?
The Code is aimed at a wide audience of individuals and organisations who are undertaking or commissioning research that has a focus on:
- 'Race', Racism and Anti-racism
- Race-relations, including inter/intra minority ethnic group relations
- The socio-political context of black & minority ethnic communities in Scotland.
Footnote: 1: SABRE is a network of Black researchers within universities, local authorities and the black voluntary sector in Scotland.
PROMOTING ANTI-RACIST RESEARCH
Principles: [Key ethics and concepts underpinning the research purpose, ethos, conduct, application and dissemination].
The Research :
- Is embedded in Social Justice & Human Rights concerns and legal obligations.
- Is explicit in its commitment to Anti-racism and to promoting Social Inclusion.
- Is empowering and actively includes black & minority ethnic peoples' perspectives.
- Addresses the complex and problematic nature of concepts of 'race', racism and ethnicity.
- Ensures that it does not pathologise, stereotype or is exploitative, particularly of black & minority ethnic people.
- Values and addresses the diversity within the black & minority ethnic population and recognises the inter-connections with colour, age, gender, disability, sexuality, culture, class, language, belief, context and other socially defined characteristics.
- Acknowledges the 'power-relations' inherent in social research processes, e.g., between 'white' and 'black', 'researchers' and 'researched' and families and communities.
- Ensures that the whole research exercise is underpinned by a commitment to confidentiality.
Methodology: [Key epistemological features influencing the researcher's aims, design, implementation, analysis, reporting and accountability in anti-racist research].
The Researcher:
- Challenges theoretical assumptions that are rooted in a historical legacy of racism by adopting frameworks that address institutional racism in research.
- Gives due regard, without discrimination, to the diversity within black minority ethnic communities, in terms of colour, age, gender, disability, sexuality, culture, class, language, belief, context and other socially defined characteristics.
- Recognises the limitations in the use of current categories of 'race' and 'ethnicity' and employs multiple methodologies to secure full representation and inclusion.
- Does not undervalue or exploit the contribution of black & minority ethnic researchers at all levels of the research.
- Respects the rights of individuals and groups to withhold or withdraw confidential information.
- Makes explicit their respective racial and ethnic origins, principles, ethics and authority and acknowledges the potential impact that this has had.
- Provides a full description of the scope, constraints and procedures for gaining access to black minority ethnic communities, the ethnic categories used and their effects on the results in terms of plausibility, validity, reliability and generalisabilty.
References:
Scottish Executive Central Research Unit (2000) Researching Ethnic Minorities in Scotland. Edinburgh: Scottish Executive.
Her Majesty's Government (2000) The Race Relations Act 1976 (Amendment Bill). London: Home Office
Membership of SABRE:
SABRE is a network of black & minority ethnic researchers within universities, local authorities and the black voluntary sector in Scotland. Current members who developed the Code are: Fernando Almeida Diniz, Rowena Arshad, Alfredo Artiles [USA], Tesfu Gessesse, Kay Hampton, Philomena de Lima, Gina Netto, Daniel Onifade, Geoff Palmer, Vijay Patel, Satnam Singh, Stanley Trent [USA] and Khushi Usmani. .
Contact:
e.mail;sabre@ukgo.com
website:www.sabre.ukgo.com
Copyright: SABRE January 2001
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