COVID-19 and All the Things That Kill Us: Research Ethics in the Time of Pandemic

Abstract

How can we ethically research “the social” in times of social distancing? This paper considers the effects of a global pandemic on anthropological practice and scholarship. We suggest that, while much can be learned about the human experience during times of strife, we must first reflect on whether our research is beneficial, collaborative, or necessary. These considerations must constitute an ongoing conversation with research collaborators, and we should work with them in assessing the sociopolitical and biophysical risks our work entails, given that many anthropologists collaborate with members of disenfranchised and politically-marginalized groups. Acknowledging the highly social and oftentimes mobile nature of anthropological research, we call for a dialogue on research’s “new normal.” Due to anthropology’s understanding of the interconnectedness of sociopolitical, historical, and cultural factors in crisis contexts, we encourage our colleagues to commit to the design of ethically-relevant responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The reflective research diary: a tool for more ethical and engaged disaster research

“…This disturbed me in a time where many of us were separated from our families and were taking every precaution to prevent the spread of COVID-19; individuals within our institutions were pressing us to conduct international fieldwork in places that could be more vulnerable due to unequal access to health insurance and medical supplies. Whilst Marino et al. (2020) argue for fieldwork conducted during COVID-19 as necessary and beneficial to those we work with (alongside the deprioritisation of professional needs where research may be inappropriate), our institutions encouraged (and, without providing paid extensions to our PhDs, pressured) us to conduct fieldwork in situations where it was unnecessary and inappropriate.…”

Anthropological Responses to COVID-19 in the Philippines

“…And while research related to COVID-19 -for example, on vaccine hesitancy -may receive much financial support in the near future, no less relevant topics may suffer what public health scholars have warned as the 'covidisation of research' (Pai 2020). It is clear that if anthropologists are to be empowered and equipped to address emergencies, conventional ethics processes must be reconsidered: an issue that has also been problematised by anthropologists elsewhere (Marino et al 2020). The Philippine experience suggests that some reforms are already happening (see Lasco et al 2021), but these need to be further encouraged.…”

Overcoming Barriers to Including Agricultural Workers in the Co‐Design of New AgTech: Lessons from a COVID‐19‐Present World

“…SARS‐CoV‐2 can also compel researchers to use a relational approach to revise research methods to account for the presence of unwelcomed, deadly actors within research processes (e.g., Marino et al. 2020).…”