Introduction to Special Issue: Ethical Engagements in Ethnographic Research

Those who employ ethnographic and qualitative methods have a history of challenges in fitting their research in line with the expectations of research ethics boards (REBs).As such, Will van den Hoonaard has long challenged the dominant paradigm of research ethics in Canada (van den Hoonaard 2002; van den Hoonaard 2011; van den Hoonaard and Hamilton 2016; van den Hoonaard and van den Hoonaard 2013).Most recently, van den Hoonaard (2023) has urged a paradigm shift away from the rigid, positivistic frameworks to more flexible and grounded approaches that map more naturally onto qualitative research designs.It is a landmark argument that pushes for a "new covenant" for ethics in the social sciences, in which he foregrounds the development of ethical expertise broadly, that is then adaptable to emergent developments in the field.Formulating this body of expertise can only be accomplished by reflecting on ethical challenges and solutions over time through the reporting of scholars of their actual lived work experience.His argument has inspired us to explore this approach while encouraging qualitative researchers to reflect on their own ethical engagements in the field with lessons for new and established scholars in their own research projects.Recently in Canada, the tri-council agencies have tried to develop more flexible criteria which are intended, in part, to address Indigenous issues through truth and reconciliation (CIHR et al. 2018). 1 However, while things have improved, the paradigm with which ethics boards operate has been largely unchanged.For example, researchers can now consult elders and community members about their research project long before they submit an ethics proposal, which is a big improvement over the requirement that ethics need to be finalized before entering the community at