NEWS FROM ACADEMIA: Alice Goffman’s Much-Acclaimed Philadelphia Story Continues To Fall Apart. “Rather than celebrating On the Run as a landmark text in sociology, readers should view it as a cautionary tale of what can happen when researchers confuse their own voices with their subjects, and arrange the facts to support a broader, even if admirable, agenda. . . . Goffman’s argument that any piece of information that might lead back to one of her subjects should fall under her confidentiality agreement presents a false dilemma: The only certain way to keep her subjects’ names from re-appearing in the public record is to not ask questions about her work. . . . Goffman has admitted to another failing: putting drama ahead of the truth. She is asking readers to trust her. But how can we trust her if she has altered her story in ways that go well beyond simple anonymization?” Lies in support of an “admirable agenda” are still lies.
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