Form, Formats, and Forms of Informed Consent
This article reflects on the unforeseen dynamics revealed as we presented written consent forms to be signed by our interlocutors during fieldwork in Djibouti and Namibia. Throughout the article we analyse how the consent form (in its legalistic form and format) seemed to instil distrust and suspic...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nordic Africa Research Network
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Nordic Journal of African Studies |
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| Online Access: | https://www.njas.fi/njas/article/view/1212 |
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| _version_ | 1849683359587893248 |
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| author | Rune Larsen Amanda Moller Rasmussen |
| author_facet | Rune Larsen Amanda Moller Rasmussen |
| author_sort | Rune Larsen |
| collection | DOAJ |
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This article reflects on the unforeseen dynamics revealed as we presented written consent forms to be signed by our interlocutors during fieldwork in Djibouti and Namibia. Throughout the article we analyse how the consent form (in its legalistic form and format) seemed to instil distrust and suspicion, instead of its intended purpose of ensuring safety and inclusion. With these accounts we argue that instead of relying on written consent as documentation for ethical conduct, we as ethnographers working on the African continent should be encouraged to explore alternative avenues based on processual negotiations, together with our interlocutors, to ensure that our research is aligned with the moral and ethical values governing our field sites.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d0619f96a6624c8f85ef3441440e8575 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1459-9465 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Nordic Africa Research Network |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nordic Journal of African Studies |
| spelling | doaj-art-d0619f96a6624c8f85ef3441440e85752025-08-20T03:23:56ZengNordic Africa Research NetworkNordic Journal of African Studies1459-94652025-06-0134210.53228/vsa1zk65Form, Formats, and Forms of Informed ConsentRune Larsen0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4653-4465Amanda Moller Rasmussen1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2920-7382Globe Institute, Copenhagen UniversityDepartment of Anthropology, Aarhus University / Research Assistant Center for Military Studies, Copenhagen University This article reflects on the unforeseen dynamics revealed as we presented written consent forms to be signed by our interlocutors during fieldwork in Djibouti and Namibia. Throughout the article we analyse how the consent form (in its legalistic form and format) seemed to instil distrust and suspicion, instead of its intended purpose of ensuring safety and inclusion. With these accounts we argue that instead of relying on written consent as documentation for ethical conduct, we as ethnographers working on the African continent should be encouraged to explore alternative avenues based on processual negotiations, together with our interlocutors, to ensure that our research is aligned with the moral and ethical values governing our field sites. https://www.njas.fi/njas/article/view/1212consent formsinformed consentGDPRfieldwork ethicsAfrican Studies |
| spellingShingle | Rune Larsen Amanda Moller Rasmussen Form, Formats, and Forms of Informed Consent Nordic Journal of African Studies consent forms informed consent GDPR fieldwork ethics African Studies |
| title | Form, Formats, and Forms of Informed Consent |
| title_full | Form, Formats, and Forms of Informed Consent |
| title_fullStr | Form, Formats, and Forms of Informed Consent |
| title_full_unstemmed | Form, Formats, and Forms of Informed Consent |
| title_short | Form, Formats, and Forms of Informed Consent |
| title_sort | form formats and forms of informed consent |
| topic | consent forms informed consent GDPR fieldwork ethics African Studies |
| url | https://www.njas.fi/njas/article/view/1212 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT runelarsen formformatsandformsofinformedconsent AT amandamollerrasmussen formformatsandformsofinformedconsent |