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Ethnography as Risky Business

Field Research in Violent and Sensitive Contexts

Edited by Kees Koonings; Dirk Kruijt and Dennis Rodgers - Contributions by Chris van der Borgh; Ingeborg Denissen; Tessa Diphoorn; Marie Louise Glebbeek; Elisabet Dueholm Rasch; Kees Koonings; Dirk Kruijt; Simone Remijnse; Dennis Rodgers; Eva van Roekel; Ariel Sánchez Meertens; Marc Simon Thomas; Monique Sonnevelt; Ralph Sprenkels; Floortje Toll and Nikkie Wiegink

Ethnography as Risky Business: Field Research in Violent and Sensitive Contexts offers a hands-on, critical appraisal of how to approach ethnographic fieldwork on socio-political conflict and collective violence, focusing on the global south. The volume’s contributions are all based on extensive firsthand qualitative social science research conducted in sensitive--and often hazardous--field settings. The contributors reflect on real-life methodological problems as well as the ethical and personal challenges such as the protection of participants, research data and the ‘ethnographic self’. In particular, the authors highlight how ‘risky ethnography’ requires careful maneuvering before, during, and after fieldwork on the basis of a ‘situated’ ethics, yet also point to the rewards of such an endeavor. If these methodological, ethical and personal risks are managed adequately, the yields in terms of generating a deep understanding of, and critical engagement with, conflict and violence may be substantial.

Lexington Books

Pages: 254 • Trim: 6⅜ x 9

978-1-4985-9843-9 • Hardback • April 2019 • $123.00 • (£95.00)

978-1-4985-9845-3 • Paperback • November 2020 • $47.99 • (£37.00)

978-1-4985-9844-6 • eBook • April 2019 • $45.50 • (£35.00)

Subjects: Social Science / Violence in Society, Social Science / Anthropology / General, Social Science / Sociology / General

Ethnography as Risky Business

Field Research in Violent and Sensitive Contexts

Hardback

Paperback

eBook

Summary

Ethnography as Risky Business: Field Research in Violent and Sensitive Contexts offers a hands-on, critical appraisal of how to approach ethnographic fieldwork on socio-political conflict and collective violence, focusing on the global south. The volume’s contributions are all based on extensive firsthand qualitative social science research conducted in sensitive--and often hazardous--field settings. The contributors reflect on real-life methodological problems as well as the ethical and personal challenges such as the protection of participants, research data and the ‘ethnographic self’. In particular, the authors highlight how ‘risky ethnography’ requires careful maneuvering before, during, and after fieldwork on the basis of a ‘situated’ ethics, yet also point to the rewards of such an endeavor. If these methodological, ethical and personal risks are managed adequately, the yields in terms of generating a deep understanding of, and critical engagement with, conflict and violence may be substantial.

Details

Lexington Books

Pages: 254 • Trim: 6⅜ x 9

978-1-4985-9843-9 • Hardback • April 2019 • $123.00 • (£95.00)

978-1-4985-9845-3 • Paperback • November 2020 • $47.99 • (£37.00)

978-1-4985-9844-6 • eBook • April 2019 • $45.50 • (£35.00)

Subjects: Social Science / Violence in Society, Social Science / Anthropology / General, Social Science / Sociology / General

Author

Kees Kooningsis associate professor of anthropology and development studies in theDepartment of Cultural Anthropology at Utrecht University and professor of Brazilian studies at CEDLA, University of Amsterdam.

Dirk Kruijt is professor emeritus of development studies in the Department of Cultural Anthropology at Utrecht University, research fellow at the Center for International Studies of the University Institute of Lisbon, and research fellow at the Centre for Military Studies, Stellenbosch University.

DennisRodgersis research professor in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies and visiting professor in international development studies at the University of Amsterdam.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Ethnography as ‘Risky Business’

Chapter 1: Researching the Politics of Aid in War-torn Societies: The Case of Chalatenango, El Salvador

Chapter 2: Dealing with Distrust: A Diplomat-Anthropologist Negotiating Obstacles in Politically Sensitive Urban Fieldwork in Sudan

Chapter 3: Researching security in Africa as the “Sierra Foxtrot Golf”

Chapter 4: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing: Negotiating Identity in Fieldwork Among the National Civil Police in Guatemala

Chapter 5: “Doctor, How Can We Improve Our Image in Europe?”: Researching War and Peace in Colombia as an Ethnographer-Consultant

Chapter 6: Interviewing Revolutionary Generations in Latin America: A Personal Memoir

Chapter 7: “You are not like the Ladinos at all”: Reflections on Fieldwork, Cataloguing the Researcher and Knowledge Production

Chapter 8: Keeping a Distance? Dealing With Perpetrators of Violence in a Guatemalan Town

Chapter 9: From 'Broder' to 'Don': Methodological Reflections on Longitudinal Gang Research in Nicaragua

Chapter 10: Interpretation of Dreams and Humor in Affective Fieldwork on State Violence in Argentina

Chapter 11: Swimming with Former Combatants: Ethics and Pragmatics of Fieldwork in Post War zones in Sri Lanka

Chapter 12: Ethical Issues Raised by Legal Anthropological Research on Local Dispute Settlement in Ecuador

Chapter 13: Security at Stake: Dealingwith Violence and Public (In)security in a Popular Neighborhood in Guadalajara, Mexico

Chapter 14: Among Comrades: (Dis)trust in Ethnographic Fieldwork with Former Salvadoran Revolutionaries

Chapter 15: Embedded Ethnography: Conflict Research Through an International Peace Mission in Colombia

Chapter 16: Fieldwork Frontiers: Danger, Uncertainty, and Limitations During Research with Former Combatants in Mozambique

Reviews

A must-read for undergraduate and graduate students of conflict and violence! It is theoretically interesting, reflecting a deep, long-term engagement around the University of Utrecht on issues of conflict, social exclusion and marginalization. It is methodologically important, developing an ethical ethnography so much more interesting than the stale rehearsals of ethics boards. Each contributor brings something important to the table, while at the same time maintaining a conversation across each chapter. No small feat at all!
— Steffen Jensen, Aalborg University

This timely volume is a critical resource on contemporary fieldwork in violent social contexts. It’s a must-read for anthropologists and other scholars engaged in ‘risky’ qualitative research, where ethnographic encounters involve distrust, suspicion, paranoia and hostility. The brilliant, provocative contributions take the readers on a reflexive journey into the ethically ambiguous world of conducting research in unstable regions.
— Atreyee Sen, University of Copenhagen

Foregrounding both the pitfalls and the potential of ethnographic research in violent or politically fraught contexts, the essays in this volume draw from a broad range of fieldwork experiences to highlight the various emotional, ethical, and political dilemmas researchers may encounter. Offering honest, thoughtful reflections on how to negotiate the complexity of such “risky research”, this collection will be highly useful to those considering embarking on this type of fieldwork, as well as those returning from it.
— Rivke Jaffe, University of Amsterdam

Ethnography as Risky Business

Field Research in Violent and Sensitive Contexts

Ethnography as Risky Business

Field Research in Violent and Sensitive Contexts

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