For ‘emotional fieldwork’ in critical geopolitical research on violence and terrorism

Woon, Chih Yuan

doi:10.1016/j.polgeo.2012.11.007

Cited by 41 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…See also Shesterinina (2019), who fleshes out supplementary materials from her previous article (Shesterinina 2016). Emotion is integral to the research process and a vital part of how we study and understand social dynamics in violent settings (Hume 2007;Lund 2012;Woon 2013). 27.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Excising the influence of a researcher's own standpoint from data gathering and analysis is extremely difficult, if not impossible, in all settings. Studying conflict, violence, and human rights, pretensions to being an impartial observer, to avoid taking sides or to prevent the personal views and emotions from filtering into the decisions that shape our research and writing, are even further from reality (Shesterinina 2019;Woon 2013). The patterns through which we mentally, implicitly sort and analyze actors and events in the field are shaped not only by our understanding of the research setting, but also by researchers' own past experiences and perceptions of security, violence, and safety.…”

Section: Positionality and Replicabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reflexivity and Temporality in Researching Violent Settings: Problems with the Replicability and Transparency Regime

Thaler

2019

Geopolitics

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Researchers studying conflict, violence, and human rights in dangerous settings across the globe face a complex set of ethical, personal, and professional dilemmas. Especially in more positivist fields and professions, there is pressure to conduct and present research as 'objective'. Yet the reality of field research in violent and conflict-affected settings is much messier than ideals in methodology textbooks or the polished presentation of field data in much published work. I argue that rather than the imposition of blanket positivist standards of replicability and research transparency, research in violent settings needs to draw lessons from interpretivist ideas and methodologies about the researcher's role in the process of data gathering, analysis, and presentation. I focus on three key issues: reflexivity, temporality, and the geography of research between 'field' and 'home,' drawing on personal experiences conducting research on conflict, violence, and postconflict society in Liberia, Nicaragua, South Africa, and Uganda. I show how these three issues practically, theoretically, and ethically conflict with replicability and transparency demands. Through a practice of reflexive openness, however, positivist-leaning researchers can more honestly and ethically reconcile realities of research with professional expectations in the field and after returning. Beyond the omnipresent ethical imperative to protect human subjects, researchers in violent and conflict-affected settings must engage in various ethical, mental, and professional balancing acts while living in the field, interacting with research participants, recording and analyzing data, and reporting findings. Researchers in more positivist fields must determine how to reconcile their experiences in the field and emotional orientations toward research participants with the 'objectivity' that their disciplines or employers may expect in data gathering and analysis. Balancing these priorities can be a struggle even in more reflexive fields like ethnographic sociology and critical geography (e.g. Nilan 2002; Woon 2013). An

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Positionality and Replicabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Reflexivity and Temporality in Researching Violent Settings: Problems with the Replicability and Transparency Regime

Thaler

2019

Geopolitics

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“…In the context of academic research, another level of institutional advice to consider pertains to the University itself. The Ohio State University, our host institution for the grant, has an international risk manager who provided us with F I G U R E 2 Incidents involving Boko Haram in the Far North of Cameroon in 2012, 2013, 2014(data: ACLED, 2016. Red dots caused fatalities, blue dots did not.…”

Section: Risk Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Co‐producing research in the “Red Zone”: Adaptation to fieldwork constraints with a transdisciplinary approach

Laborde

Phang

Ahmadou

et al. 2018

Geographical Journal

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Fieldwork rarely goes to plan. In geography, anthropology, earth sciences and other research activities that rely on field data, trade‐offs are required between planning and execution. This article addresses the adaptation of research projects to changing fieldwork conditions. It is based on a case study of interdisciplinary and international “Coupled Human and Natural Systems” research situated in the Far North of Cameroon. The research project underwent drastic changes because of escalating insecurity in the field site, caused by Boko Haram, a terrorist group active in north‐east Nigeria and neighbouring regions. We use network analysis to show that our research team became larger, more connected and less clustered to accommodate for the changes in fieldwork accessibility. This process of adaptation led our research team towards tighter interdisciplinary collaboration, the co‐production of research between academic scientists with little or no local field experience and non‐academic practitioners with field knowledge, and a better dissemination of research outcomes through stronger partnerships with local organisations – overall, an increasingly transdisciplinary research pathway. Based on this case study, we discuss features of adaptive research projects facing high‐uncertainty field conditions, which is an increasingly relevant issue for many researchers, for example those working in parts of the Sahel or Middle East.

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“…With Balay Mindanaw agreeing to act as a bridge between the military and the communities in Mindanao, the immediate task was to gather all the relevant stakeholders for a face‐to‐face meeting with EastMinCom to discuss the peace agenda. I was invited to serve as an independent observer for the event, which consisted of representatives from the barangays under the charge of EastMinCom, rebel groups and NGOs in Mindanao (see Woon ). All those present at the meeting were forced to confront vastly different subjectivities pertaining to violence in Mindanao.…”

Section: The Military and The Coalitional Geographies Of Peacebuildingmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Peopling’ geographies of peace: the role of the military in peacebuilding in the Philippines

Woon

2014

Trans Inst British Geog

Self Cite

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Geographical forays into peace research have flourished in recent years. Without denying the value of these works in highlighting the discipline's normative and practical contributions towards peace, this paper calls for further interrogations into the peoples who are involved in the (re)making of peaceful geographies. Using the case study of the military in the southern Philippines, I showcase the efforts of a particular group of soldiers in harnessing coalitional formations with local communities and NGOs for peaceful outcomes. Specifically, such collaborative partnerships enabled meaningful dialogues and negotiations to take place so as to pave the way for the attainment of truly sustainable peace. Hence, I contend that moving towards 'peopled' accounts of peace can proffer insights into the relationships and interactions between actors and how these facilitate transformative possibilities for peace. This will in turn create space for reflecting on the motivations and pathways in practising and realising peace. Such an actor-centred approach to peace is particularly important at this political juncture when attempts are made to shift geography away from its traditional interest in warfare so as to grant new visibility to alternative peace culturesit not only highlights the discipline's ethical responsibility towards peace and nonviolence but also facilitates academic action that is embodied and engaged.

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For ‘emotional fieldwork’ in critical geopolitical research on violence and terrorism

Cited by 41 publications

References 35 publications

Reflexivity and Temporality in Researching Violent Settings: Problems with the Replicability and Transparency Regime

Reflexivity and Temporality in Researching Violent Settings: Problems with the Replicability and Transparency Regime

Co‐producing research in the “Red Zone”: Adaptation to fieldwork constraints with a transdisciplinary approach

‘Peopling’ geographies of peace: the role of the military in peacebuilding in the Philippines

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