Affections in research field

Methodological reflections about ethnography in an institution for cancer treatment

Abstract

This article discusses methodological issues about an ethnography performed in an institution for treatment in oncological gynecology. The analysis addresses two aspects: the dual identity of researcher and professional, and the choice of the ethnography locus. The ethnography was performed in the first care provided to the patients and the goal was to verify the ideal of “patient autonomy”. The women were accompanied at the consultations and the researcher shared their pains and embarrassments. This experience provoked strong emotions, unexpected and unpleasant, and instigated the production of knowledge. The observation was fundamental to understand the tensions that integrate the care provided, and how these make up the ways in which the ideal of patient autonomy is performed in the institution, highlighting its limits. Although the locus of the research was unusual, it was fundamental to produce knowledge.