Sneaky Kid and Its Aftermath: Ethics and Intimacy in Fieldwork

by Harry F Wolcott

Overview

Brad -- a schizophrenic school dropout and self-described "sneaky kid" -- first appears as a squatter near Harry Wolcott's forest home. He becomes Wolcott's subject in a long-term life history on how the educational system can fail students. Wolcott's trilogy of articles based on their years of interviews were well-received -- until he confessed to an intimate relationship with the young man who, two years after leaving his area, returned and attempted to murder the anthropologist. The Brad Trilogy then became the starting point for heated discussions of research ethics, validity, and the limitations of qualitative research. Here, Wolcott presents the full story of the Sneaky Kid and the academic firestorm it caused. He also reflects on what the project means for the practice of field research. A stage play derived from the study (by Johnny Saldana) is also included. Written in Wolcott's masterful style, this book is an ideal starting point for discussing the many complex issues of qualitative research.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780759103115
Publisher:	AltaMira Press
Publication date:	08/15/2002
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.22(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Harry F. Wolcott (1929-2012) was professor emeritus in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Oregon and a leading author in anthropology and research methods. Wolcott's major works include anthropological studies of American education: Teachers Versus Technocrats and The Man in the Principal's Office: An Ethnography. He also wrote extensively on fieldwork and writing: Transforming Qualitative Data; The Art of Fieldwork; Ethnography: A Way of Seeing; and Writing Up Qualitative Data and is the author of the more recent Sneaky Kid and Its Aftermath: Ethics and Intimacy in Fieldwork (all published by AltaMira Press).
Johnny Saldana is a Professor of Theatre at Arizona State University, and his studies in qualitative research range from ethnography to ethnotheatre. He has written several articles on theatre teachers' perceptions of their practice, and young people's development as audiences and artists. One of these studies includes the ethnodrama "Maybe someday, if I'm famous...", a one-act case study of an adolescent actor.

Table of Contents

	Foreword	vii
	Introduction	ix
Part 1	The Sneaky Kid
Chapter 1	Adequate Schools and Inadequate Education: The Life History of a Sneaky Kid	3
Chapter 2	The Brad Saga Continues	35
Chapter 3	The Return	65
Chapter 4	Out	77
Chapter 5	More Truth, More Consequences	105
Part 2	Where Do Our Studies Go?
Chapter 6	The Rebound	115
Chapter 7	A Play on Words: The Brad Trilogy as Ethnodrama	129
Chapter 8	Drawing Lessons	141
Appendix	A Play, "Finding My Place: The Brad Trilogy"	167
	References and Select Bibliography	211
	Index	217
	Acknowledgments	221
	About the Authors	222

Editorial Reviews

Brad's story began as a case study Wolcott completed on the failures of education. . . . Wolcott published an article on the experience and this topic. This article remains a well-reference source among qualitative researchers. . . . [Wolcott] proves his adeptness as an anthropologist as he is able to capture adequately the specificities of a particular moment and place and, at the same time, indicate their relevance to a much broader social context, in this case, the dilemmas we face as qualitative researchers today. . . . The book's story reminds us again and again of the inadequacies in schooling for many of our youth, the continued stigmatization and suspicions about homosexuality, and the complex dilemmas of ethics in educational research. . . . An ethno drama is included, written by Johnny Saldana, entitled, 'Finding my place: The Brad Trilogy.' Finally, with the includsion of this play as the final chapter of the book, the story of Brad finds its final home. . . . Wolcott's work, in all its complexity and controversy is now offered to a new generation of qualitative researchers and fieldworkers. This intriguing, compelling work is a touching depiciton fo the struggles of a research amid the complexitites of a new and advancing field of research.
— Audrey M. Dentith, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

Columbia Record

Wolcott is a well-known, iconoclastic anthropologist of education. . . . He provides a detailed, explicit, autobiographical account of the events surrounding the publication of a series of articles on educational inadequacy, subsequently labeled 'The Brad Trilogy.' It tells the story behind the trilogy, examining personal, professional, and moral issues raised by the author's romantic relationship with the middle-class homeless man whose story is told in the trilogy. The book chronicles the young man's struggle with mental illness and Wolcott's subsequent encounters with family members, the mental health establishment, the justice system, and the academic world, presenting a firsthand account of the failure of schools, communities, mental health providers, welfare agencies and courts to serve those in need.
— J. Armstrong, University of New Mexico

Choice

This volume is well written and it raises a number of interesting issues, not only about research methods, but also about education, mental health, and the criminal justice system...it is sure to serve as a catalyst for a number of vigorous discussions about ethics and intimacy in the research process.
— Amanda Lewis, University of Illinois, Chicago

Contemporary Sociology

This book is well-written, compelling and enjoyable...Not everyone will agree with Wolcott's conclusions about research and ethics. But that is precisely the point. This book can be used very productively in classes in which the ethics of field research is a topic. It will generate a lot of discussion and debate.
— Don Kulick, New York University (USA)

Sexualities

What a tour de force, a marvelous accomplishment! Such honesty and plain talking is seldom seen in the social sciences.

Norman K. Denzin

Brad's story began as a case study Wolcott completed on the failures of education. . . . Wolcott published an article on the experience and this topic. This article remains a well-reference source among qualitative researchers. . . . [Wolcott] proves his adeptness as an anthropologist as he is able to capture adequately the specificities of a particular moment and place and, at the same time, indicate their relevance to a much broader social context, in this case, the dilemmas we face as qualitative researchers today. . . . The book's story reminds us again and again of the inadequacies in schooling for many of our youth, the continued stigmatization and suspicions about homosexuality, and the complex dilemmas of ethics in educational research. . . . An ethno drama is included, written by Johnny Saldana, entitled, 'Finding my place: The Brad Trilogy.' Finally, with the includsion of this play as the final chapter of the book, the story of Brad finds its final home. . . . Wolcott's work, in all its complexity and controversy is now offered to a new generation of qualitative researchers and fieldworkers. This intriguing, compelling work is a touching depiciton fo the struggles of a research amid the complexitites of a new and advancing field of research.

Columbia Record - Audrey M. Dentith

Wolcott is a well-known, iconoclastic anthropologist of education. . . . He provides a detailed, explicit, autobiographical account of the events surrounding the publication of a series of articles on educational inadequacy, subsequently labeled 'The Brad Trilogy.' It tells the story behind the trilogy, examining personal, professional, and moral issues raised by the author's romantic relationship with the middle-class homeless man whose story is told in the trilogy. The book chronicles the young man's struggle with mental illness and Wolcott's subsequent encounters with family members, the mental health establishment, the justice system, and the academic world, presenting a firsthand account of the failure of schools, communities, mental health providers, welfare agencies and courts to serve those in need.

CHOICE - J. Armstrong

This volume is well written and it raises a number of interesting issues, not only about research methods, but also about education, mental health, and the criminal justice system...it is sure to serve as a catalyst for a number of vigorous discussions about ethics and intimacy in the research process.

Contemporary Sociology - Amanda Lewis

This book is well-written, compelling and enjoyable...Not everyone will agree with Wolcott's conclusions about research and ethics. But that is precisely the point. This book can be used very productively in classes in which the ethics of field research is a topic. It will generate a lot of discussion and debate.

Sexualities: Studies in Culture and Society - Don Kulick

Harry pursues difficult goals with lively style, provocative scholarship, and admirable collegiality. . . . This is a book I've long encouraged him to write because of the importance of the questions about educational adequacy and the necessary distinctions of education and schooling. The inadequacy of our institutions of schooling, justice, and welfare is an important expansion of the original agenda.

John Singleton