The Case With Zora Hurston s Compilation Of Collected...

Research today has limits and standards to protect study participants and researchers alike, all in an attempt to facilitate ethical data collection for reliable results. A universal research body, such as the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at UVM, governs these set values. However, early anthropological research often deviated from ethical standards and broke basic research rights. Such is the case with Zora Hurston’s compilation of collected stories in Mules and Men. After returning to her hometown in Florida, she begins listening to stories from locals, building a cultural interpretation of the locals. Continuing her studies, she travels to New Orleans to pursue research in Hoodoo, a sacred and protected practice. Her unethical approach breaches IRB standards regarding her methods of safety, consent, and confidentiality, violating the UVM Institutional Review Board’s human subjects protection guidelines. When conducting research, it is expected by the IRB that rese archers, and subjects alike, should be out of harms way, a situation Hurston often finds herself in. While talking with Big Sweet and Lucy in Florida, Lucy points a knife at Hurston over jealousy of Big Sweet always playing Hurston â€Å"John Henry†. A fight breaks out and Hurston is threatened as she flees. Jim Presely says to her, â€Å"’Run you chile! Rune and ride! Dis is gointer be uh nasty ditch†¦ Run clean of dis job! Some uh dese folks goin’ tuh judgment and some goin’ tuh jail.† (Hurston, 179). Hurston is