“We” were robbed: perceptions and views of Zimbabwean research informants on etic and emic researchers’ ethics in the field

Abstract

Research informants I interacted with during fieldwork for my doctoral studies entitled ‘Continuity and change in Mbira DzaVadzimu music and performance practice in Zimbabwe’ have complained about the way some researchers both within and outside Zimbabwe conduct their research. They claimed that some of the researchers did not observe ethical issues thus robbing them of their rights and knowledge. However, I am aware of many prominent researchers who have respected their research informants and upheld ethical issues. This contradiction prompted me to investigate the concerns of the research informants. This paper therefore seeks to highlight the complaints made by some research informants on how certain researchers conduct their business. Findings are based on my experiences during fieldwork which I conducted for my doctoral study mentioned above. On the one hand, some researchers flouted ethical issues as complained by the research informants. On the other hand, other researchers upheld ethical issues as expected of them.