The Ethical Challenges of Field Research in Conflict Zones |
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Authors: | Elisabeth Jean Wood |
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Institution: | (1) Santa Fe Institute and Department of Political Science, Yale University, P.O. Box 208301, New Haven, CT 06520-8301, USA |
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Abstract: | Drawing on 26 months of field research in El Salvador during the civil war, I analyze some ethical challenges that confront
field researchers working in conflict zones. After briefly summarizing the purpose and general methodology of my research,
I discuss in detail the research procedures I followed to implement the “do no harm” ethic of empirical research. I first
analyze the particular conditions of the Salvadoran civil war during the period of research. I then discuss the procedures
meant to ensure that my interviews with people took place with their fully informed consent—what I understood that to mean
and how I implemented it. I then turn to the procedures whereby the anonymity of those interviewed and the confidentiality
of the data gathered were ensured to the extent possible. Throughout I discuss particular ethical dilemmas that I confronted,
including issues of self-presentation and mistaken identity, the emotional challenges of field work in highly polarized settings
(which if not well understood may lead to lapse in judgment), and my evolving questions concerning the researcher role and
its limitations. I also discuss the dilemmas that arise in the dissemination of research findings and the repatriation of
data.
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Keywords: | Ethics in research Civil war Political violence Qualitative research methods Field research |
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