A Critique on the Article Get 'Ready to Duck: Bouncers and the Realities of Ethnographic Research on Violent Groups

Essay from the year 2009 in the subject Sociology - Law, Delinquency, Abnormal Behavior, grade: A, University of Derby, course: BA in Sociology and Film and Television Studies, language: English, abstract: I have critiqued an article 'Get Ready to Duck: Bouncers and the Realities of Ethnographic Research on Violent Groups'(Winlow, S., Hobbs, D., Hadfield, P., Lister, S., (2001) 'Get Ready to Duck: Bouncers and the Realities of Ethnographic Research on Violent Groups', British Journal of Criminology, 41, 536-548.) that deals with violence in a job role. Bouncers have a reputation for violence and the following article investigates the bouncer's role using qualitative research. The method used is covert ethnography. I will examine this article in terms of the methodological approaches, size of the sample, and the moral and ethical problems with the method used; the use of deceit; the possibility of using violence whilst working on the door and views on ethical problems. I will investigate the strengths of the article and identify the limitations of the article.