Description
It is commonly argued that while ethnographic approaches to the study of negotiations generate unique insights which cannot be gained through any other method, at the same time this an extremely labor-intensive and time consuming research method with one major drawback being that it is prone to a lack of scientific rigor and objectivity. I argue, however, that this method is the most concrete and empirical of methods, taking nothing for granted and utilizing less mediated knowledge than others.
With this as my point-of-departure, this project breaks new ground by applying ethnographic methods to problems of international trade negotiation. Approaching negotiators as a network involved in constructing the meaning of justice in international trade, I employ multi-sited ethnography, participant observation, interviews, field notes, and textual analysis through close reading, in order to tease out meanings of justice that inform the arguments of trade negotiators representing small developing states in the Commonwealth Caribbean. My approach is informed by a feminist research ethic with a normative commitment to promote justice for small developing states in the context of trade negotiations.
