Vulnerabilities of an estranged researcher and researched

In this paper, I reflect upon my own experiences of conducting interpretive consumer research and demonstrate how international relations (at a macro level) influence the research environment (at a very micro level). I demonstrate how the West's insistence on enforcing a Western model of democracy onto a country can cause a series of problems for social scientists in that context. Then, with a particular focus on the ethical and emotional vulnerability of the researcher, I argue that such difficulties ultimately hinder the great potential of consumer research in providing direction for social policy.