Delving into the field: Is there an optimal level of participation in ethnography?

High profile accounts of researchers ‘going native’ have been the focus of much academic debate.1 However what level of participation is appropriate, from a disciplinary perspective, has received less attention. Seminal ethnographic studies have advocated total immersion within the researched community,2 yet many professional disciplines (e.g. health, statutory social work or education) would consider full participation ethically and methodologically challenging.3-5 Other disciplines (e.g. politics and international relations) have traditionally dismissed ethnography due to their epistemological standpoint. With varying levels of participation across ethnographic research, we must ask the question ‘is there an optimal level of participation?’