As I explain elsewhere, this is a study of the genre of autobiography / memoir. It is not an autobiography or a memoir as such, and thus there is no need to name a lot of other people that I have met throughout my life.
As a rule, if I need to illustrate my arguments with reference to individuals whom I have engaged with privately during my life I will therefore anonymise them. I can mention them by initial letters (L, K, A, etc.), or by cover names, but I will make every effort to make certain they cannot be identified.
There are three obvious exceptions to this rule. I will reserve the right to mention 1) the few persons who cannot be anonymised (like my mother), 2) individuals who have explicitly given their permission to be named, and 3) people whose specific relation with me can be easily found in the public domain, for example, those I have engaged with in public discussions.
Are these reasonable ethical measures for a genre investigation of this kind? Or have I forgotten something?
Published in Facebook 18 December 2015 and generating a few comments:
Peter Larsson the exceptions is the base, not more
Thomas Söderqvist Can you say a little more, Peter?
Peter Larsson That only rules who should be valid, is what you are calling the three execeptions No initial letters or cover names just to avoid misunderstanding or rumours.
Thomas Söderqvist Aha! Yes, it’s very important to avoid rumours and misunderstandings. Thanks!