SURVEYING THE HAREDIM AS INSIDERS: IDENTITY, OBJECTIVITY AND RESEARCH ETHICS

Abstract

In conducting social science research on religion, the religious identity of investigators (or lack of such identity) may pose various challenges to objectivity. This paper is based on our experiences, as haredi (‘ultra-Orthodox’ Jewish) sociologists, in conducting a women’s health survey amongst our own community. It discusses two particular incidents, occurring before and after data-collection, in which our status as insiders became an issue. We discuss how these incidents shaped our evolving views regarding the interplay between identity, objectivity, and research ethics.