Rethinking volatility in “safe” fields: Navigating respectability, reciprocity and vulnerability as an Ethio-Italian woman

Abstract (English)

Traditional anthropological scholarship conceptualises volatility geographically, often locating it in the ‘Global-South,’ considered unsafe for a Euro-American white researcher (Smith, 2008). In contrast, drawing on ethnographic research conducted in Amsterdam in 2021 among Ethiopian Evangelical and Orthodox church communities, in this paper, I reflect on how my positionality as an Ethio-Italian woman led to experiences of volatility in the field. To do so, I draw on Holz and Bano's (2022) notion of “unexpected and unplanned situations” that generate emotions of discomfort and ethical tension to reflect on two incidents of verbal assault I experienced from two Ethiopian men.
Although Amsterdam is not typically associated with a volatile setting, and the incidents I analysed were not overtly violent, they led to a sudden and unexpected sense of vulnerability. My discomfort was triggered by the contradictions of being cast both as Ethiopian and “Fereng” depending on my interlocutor's intentions, the dilemma of fulfilling the anthropological requirement of reciprocity within the context of patriarchy (Johansson, 2015) and the dilemma of choosing between being a ‘respectable woman’ and a ‘good researcher’ (Holz & Bano, 2022).
Based on my experiences as an Ethio-Italian woman, researching in a somewhat familiar and simultaneously unfamiliar environment, I argue that volatility is a subjective, lived experience, influenced by wider systems like patriarchy (Lin, 2023; Fleschenberg & Castillo 2022; Holz & Bano, 2022). It asks researchers to approach fieldwork with preparedness, flexibility, alertness, and openness to continually renegotiate and adapt to changing circumstances and social dynamics. Ultimately, it asks for a localised understanding of ethics where reciprocity is always conscious of the researcher's boundaries, positionality and feelings of safety.