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Hack the anthropologist: Translating source code, adapting research ethics
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AI
DOI：10.1080/00187259.2026.2629381.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
How might we apply anthropological research ethics to research conducted in tech organizations, especially those that are open source and open access? In this article I reflect on my two-year volunteer work with a civic tech nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles, during which I translated and adapted anthropological ethics into research ethics guides geared towards UI/UX researchers. Writing these guides involved both contemplation and translation of anthropological methods and ethics, and a consideration of how to adapt research ethics to the organization's primary interfaces-GitHub and Google Workspace. I introduce the concept of open-source anthropology as a kind of anthropology concerned with translating and adapting our source code-our methods, training, and ethics-to non-academic audiences, and not just making our research open access. Open-source anthropology is an adaptation of anthropological research ethics elsewhere and otherwise, and it is the co-creation of research methods and ethics, making our source code truly open source.
Keywords:
Research ethics
open-source
technology
autoethnography
methods