‘I thought… I saw… I heard…’: the ethical and moral tensions of auto/biographically opportunistic research in public spaces

There are ethical and moral tensions inherent in studies that utilise auto/biographically opportunistic methods. The researcher may live/work alongside participants, walking the same streets, developing personal connections with the social settings, groups and individuals being studied. To do this ethically demands explicit and reflexive self-observation, sensitivity and awareness of the relational nature of research. I discuss these tensions in relation to findings from my qualitative study into young people’s relationship with nature, using a short story that blends data from informal interviews with naturalistic observations in public spaces. Drawing from creative and auto/ethnographical research methods, and applying the concept of the sociological imagination to explore the complexities of this approach, I argue it is a valid and appropriate way to research the role of space, place and nature in auto/biographical accounts whilst remaining cognisant of our own values, beliefs and emotions.