Challenges in the Study of Cultural Violence: Using Semi-Structured Interviews to Uncover Manifestations of Post-Racial Xeno-Racism

The case study is based on qualitative research conducted in the seaside borough of Great Yarmouth (in Norfolk, UK) during the year 2017. Four researchers and two research assistants – with disciplinary backgrounds in Anthropology, Geography, Media Studies and Political Science – collected primary data through semi-structured interviews, informal conversations, participatory photography and a museum exhibition of the participant-generated images. The research project dealt with the micro-level effects of the UK’s EU Referendum (also known as the Brexit Referendum) held on 23 June 2016, and asked: How do individuals with and without an international migration background make sense of everyday intercultural relations in the aftermath of the Brexit vote? The case study refers to the primary data collection process through semi-structured interviews only, highlighting challenges in the study of cultural violence (defined here as experiences or expressions of racist or xenophobic norms, values and beliefs) and how the research team overcame them. Readers will learn about the practical steps we took to ensure that research participants felt comfortable and safe sharing their insights about politically sensitive topics.