NCJ Number
210317
Date Published
2005
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This chapter explores the issues surrounding the cross-cultural comparative and collaborative study of China and the United Kingdom (UK).
Abstract
Previous research has often turned a blind eye to comparing young people’s experiences of violence in different countries and across different cultures. This is partially true because of the complexities involved with cross-cultural comparisons in social research. In order to demonstrate the importance and utility of cross-cultural research, the authors undertook a study of children across the United Kingdom and China to explore their use and experience of violence in the family while growing up. The goal was to discover how children’s experiences of domestic violence manifested in different socio-cultural settings. Challenges involved with doing this type of research are considered, including the problem of relative power between researchers involved in collaborative projects. In the current analysis, the UK researchers were much more experienced at researching issues of violence and abuse than were the Chinese collaborators, setting up a possible power differential within the research team. The development of their questionnaire instrument is described, which required both a Chinese and a UK version, and the analysis and interpretation of the data across two very different languages and cultures is considered. In the end, the researchers strove to explore differences across countries in the experience of domestic violence while at the same time minimizing the cultural imperialism that can slip into comparative and collaborative research across different countries and cultures. Notes, bibliography