Cultural Continuity as an Ethical Imperative

Mainstream Western ethics defines humans as rational beings. Ethics is a system of rules external to society and culture. Qualitative inquiry defines humans in holistic terms—as cultural beings, and cultures are value centered. The master norm for qualitative research, therefore, ought to be cultural continuity. Decisions for change are controlled by cultural groups themselves. Research ought to empower them toward the locally sustainable. Research is not neutral but a catalyst for critical consciousness.