Conducting research in high risk locations
ThemesConducting research in high risk locations
What is this about?
Sometimes SSH research can be conducted in sites that pose risks to researchers and research participants. That can include regions of conflict or countries with authoritarian regimes.[1] In these situations it is important to find a strategy to keep the research participants safe and meet the research objectives.
- ↑ European Commission. Ethics in Social Science and Humanities. October 2018. [cited 2020 Oct 7]. Available from: https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/other/hi/h2020_ethics-soc-science-humanities_en.pdf.
Why is this important?
Research in disciplines such as history, political science, sociology or anthropology requires fieldwork in different sites. This can be very challenging, so researchers need to be aware of specific conditions of these sites.
Sometimes research is conducted in areas where political and societal conditions pose serious risks regarding safety of researchers and other participants. Fieldwork in an EU country, certain Middle Eastern zones or some parts of Central Asia are not the same. Apart from conflict zones or countries with non-democratic regimes, countries or regions where economic, environmental and health conditions may put at risk researchers and research participants fit into this category as well.[1] Conditions that can present danger for researchers can be found in stable and developed countries as well, for example when researching criminal activities and conducting research in troubled neighborhoods.[1]
Fieldwork in conflict zones and countries with authoritarian regimes poses high risks and presents practical and ethical difficulties, from getting research permits, possible language barriers,[2] gathering the accurate data due to lack of unbiased sources[3] to obtaining informed consent.[2] Therefore, conducting research in these sites requires more attention from researchers, academic institutions and regulatory bodies to ensure the safety of researchers and all research participants.
Sites of research can be challenging in different ways. When conducting a research, for example, in indigenous communities such as Native American communities, researchers have to be aware of and show respect to their cultural framework. It requires knowledge of this culture and establishing relationships with members of their community to build trust which would facilitate achieving the aim of the research.[4]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 European Commission. Ethics in Social Science and Humanities. October 2018. [cited 2020 Oct 7]. Available from: https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/other/hi/h2020_ethics-soc-science-humanities_en.pdf.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Moss S M, Uluğ O M, Acar Y G. Doing Research in Conflict Contexts: Practical and Ethical Challenges for Researchers When Conducting Fieldwork. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology. 2018:1-14.
- ↑ Wood E J. The Ethical Challenges of Field Research in Conflict Zones. Qual Sociol. 2006;29:373-386.
- ↑ NACE. Native American Center for Excellence. Executive Summary. Steps for Conducting Research and Evaluation in Native Communities. [cited 2020 Oct 7]. Available from:https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/nace-steps-conducting-research-evaluation-native-communities.pdf.
For whom is this important?
What are the best practices?
There have been discussions regarding potential risks for research in sites such as Central Asian region that includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan – countries with authoritarian regimes.[1] One of the examples that can adequately present what type of risk researchers can encounter is the arrest and accusation for espionage of Alexander Sodiqov, a Tajik citizen and political science PhD student at the University of Toronto, in Tajikistan in 2014 during his fieldwork on conflict resolution.[1] Sodiqov was arrested while interviewing Tajik civil society leaders and he spent five weeks in jail.[2] His colleagues in Canada maintained that this event implied that research in Tajikistan is “under threat”.[2] This case shows that researchers must be aware of potential risks that await them at their fieldwork. In order to handle them adequately, they need to plan a strategy before embarking upon a field research. This is where advice and recommendations from the research community can be very useful. However, there is a lack of uniform guidelines that would cover all the categories of fieldwork in dangerous zones and that would specify all potential risks.[3]
Some researchers with experience in fieldwork offer their advice and recommendations individually. The most important part is pre-departure planning.[3] Before the actual fieldwork, researchers should be able to understand the local context well[4] and know their legal rights as foreign scholars conducting research.[3] Engaging local contacts for some insights regarding potential risks can also be helpful.[1][4] One of the most important things while conducting research is to protect confidentiality and anonymity of the participants at any cost, even to the detriment of other research objectives.[1]
The European Commission (EC) has also offered a list of recommendations for research in regions or countries of high risks for researchers and participants. The EC also emphasizes the importance of making a clear strategy for keeping their research participants and themselves safe.[5] With regards to that, a risk assessment has to be made and it should include details of safety measures the researchers are planning to take, for example training for staff and insurance cover.[1] It is also important for researchers to provide justification in their ethics self-assessment for choosing an approach or site of research that involves higher risk, explain why alternative approaches are not possible, identify the potential risks and show how they intend to mitigate these risks.[1]
The necessity of conducting research in sites that pose risk to researchers and research participants compels policy-makers, universities and funding agencies, in collaboration with researchers experienced in fieldwork in risk zones, to formulate clear and precise guidelines and recommendations on the topic.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Janenova S. The Boundaries of Research in an Authoritarian State. Int J Qual Methods. 2019;18:1-8.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Kumkova K. Canadian researcher released after five weeks in Tajikistan jail. The Guardian. 2014 Jul 22. [cited 2020 Oct 7]. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/24/canada-alexander-sodiqov-released-tajikistan.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Morgenbesser L, Weiss M L. Survive and Thrive: Field Research in Authoritarian Southeast Asia. Asian Stud Rev. 2018;42(3):385-403.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Massoud M F. Field Research on Law in Conflict Zones and Authoritarian States. Annu. Rev Law Soc Sci. 2016;12:85-106.
- ↑ European Commission. Ethics in Social Science and Humanities. October 2018. [cited 2020 Oct 7]. Available from: https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/other/hi/h2020_ethics-soc-science-humanities_en.pdf.
Natalie Evans, Andrijana Perković Paloš contributed to this theme. Latest contribution was Aug 20, 2021
