Researching Drug Sellers: An ‘experiential’ account from ‘the field’

Ethnographic research techniques are well regarded as a way to elicit detailedunderstandings of human interaction. They are particularly useful for examining‘deviant’ cultures and the dynamics of illegal activity. Though, ethnographicresearch on illegal activity can be ‘messy’. This paper reports some practicaland ethical issues encountered while carrying out an ethnographic study of druguse and drug selling among ‘rave’ dance participants in London. In particular itaddresses the issue of using friendship to assist the research relationship andthe use of a semi-covert style of research. Connected to this, it touches on theemotional work of the fieldworker whilst undertaking ‘sensitive’ research. Itmakes a timely contribution to discussions of ‘reflexivity’ in the researchprocess, as well as the discourse on social sciences research governance. Itargues the standardized codes of ethical conduct can not easily be translated toethnographic research on criminal activity, such as drug use and drugselling.