The Researcher and the Researched: Navigating the Challenges of Research in Conflict-Affected Environments

Ethical concerns associated with social science research are heightened in conflict-affected environments, due to increased insecurity and the vulnerability of many research participants. This article considers some of the main challenges faced by researchers in conflict-affected environments and how they can be addressed, focusing in particular on ethical and security challenges. It also considers other challenges, which are often overlooked, such as the epistemological and methodological challenges of acquiring knowledge in conflict-affected environments, where research participants may be from different cultures, may speak different languages, and may be deeply traumatized and distrustful of others. In such places, research participants may employ techniques to assuage or discourage the researcher, including projecting borrowed narratives or remaining silent. This article argues that navigating security and ethical challenges, attending to issues of power, and remaining genuinely self-reflective can help fulfill the optimal potential of research in conflict-affected environments, which is to challenge narratives that perpetuate conflict, harm, and insecurity and to contribute to a better understanding and, thus, response to the challenges of conflict and peacebuilding.