Group identity conflicts as challenge and a source of ethical dilemmas for ethnicity researchers

In recent years, the groups which are the subject of my analysis, Carpatho–Rusyns, Lemkos, Kashubians and Silesians, have been a source of interest for the representatives of many disciplines, including sociology, anthropology and linguistics. While these groups are in a contest for the recognition and preservation of their culture and language, they are also characterized (of course, within a very different scope and nature) by an intra-group identity conflict concerning the status of the group (ethnic, regional, ethnographic, linguistic, national, whether the group is a separate nation) and its national affiliation. Some leaders of these ethnic groups demonstrate a wish for emancipation, while others see their group as belonging to other nations. Conflicts and dilemmas of identity define the dividing lines in groups, most often institutionalized in the form of the existence of separate and frequently opposed organizations. There is often a debate regarding the appropriate path to take. Furthermore, ethnic leaders with conflicting views often claim the right to represent the whole group and speak on its behalf. Such a situation is a challenge for the researcher, especially when studies concern ethnic leaders who wish to control group ethnicity and identity politics, and thus are interested in the image of the group that emerges from publications about it. In this situation, the researcher often unintentionally becomes a participant in the identity debate. The case of such groups, which I consider to be significant, shows the difficulty of practicing engaged anthropology/sociology. In my paper I will introduce the basic challenges and ethical dilemmas that accompany the study of such groups during all stages of the research process, using both the experience from my own fieldwork, and also by analyzing selected publications discussing strategies of dealing with the situation of identity conflicts adopted by other anthropologists and sociologists who have examined the communities which are the subject of my research.