before moving on to collect primary research.6 This process enabled a comprehensive understanding of literature on hate speech, and was used to analyse and compare past examples of anti-hate narratives with the field research conducted. Reflexivity Charlotte Aull Davies defines reflexivity as ‘a process of self-reference’ and ‘turning back on oneself.’7 What this refers to in the context of social research is the ways in which the products of research are affected by the process of the research. As Davies points out, this is of particular significance for ethnographic research in which the researcher will inevitably be closely involved in the society and culture of those being studied. Awareness of the researcher’s connection to the study and their effects on it will promote the use of techniques, such as standardized wording of questions in interviews, which aim to limit their effect on social encounters. I would like to use this section to acknowledge social, cultural and linguistic differences between myself as a white, British female from an academic background, and the Burmese Participants. There are many factors that can affect the accuracy of the qualitative data collected in research; difference in age, ethnicity, class and religion can create distance between the interviewer and the research participant. One factor works as an advantage in creating a more equal context for interviewing, as my research focuses on the youth demographic, is that at twenty-three I am of a similar age as the participants. Age difference could create a more formal environment where the participants may feel the need to be more culturally polite and respectful; with the researcher, participants, and translator (discussed next) all of the same age bracket, a more equal context for discussion is made possible. However, there was a possibility that linguistic and ethnic differences would affect research results for the reason that they may create distance between me, as the interviewer, 6 Whitehead, T., (2005) ‘Basic Classical Ethnographic Research Methods: Secondary Data Analysis, Fieldwork, Observation/Participant Observation, and Informal and Semi-structured Interviewing’, Ethnographically Informed Community and Cultural Assessment Research Systems (EICCARS) Working Paper Series, p.3. 7 Davies, C., (1999) Reflexive Ethnography: A Guide to Researching Selves and Others, Routledge, p.4. -9-