Navigating Unpredictable Sites

Methodological Implications of Positioning during and after Fieldwork in Conflict Societies

Bibliographic Data

ID7424768
AuthorsE Gerharz (0000-0002-8615-0813, corresponding author)
Year2017
Volume61
Issue3
Pages1-18
Publication date2017-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial Analysis (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0155-977X • E-ISSN: 1558-5727
PublisherBerghahn Books (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.3167/sa.2017.610301
OpenAlexW2763792498
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited42

This article discusses the relationship between the researcher and a field affected by armed conflict. Based on ethnographic research in Sri Lanka during the ceasefire of 2002, it investigates how deep polarization that emerges in the course of a violent conflict determines the researcher's scope for positioning vis-à-vis the different groups. The article argues that the unpredictibility of the research site necessitates careful navigation of the self and requires thorough reflection on the consequences of particular moves at the point of decision making. In order to maintain relationships with different sides, there is a need to deal carefully with sensitive issues, both during and after fieldwork. This article pleas for a balance between pragmatism and ethics

Conflict resolution · Environmental ethics · Epistemology · Ethnography · Field (mathematics · Political science · Pragmatism · Scope (computer science · Social science · Sociology · Anthropology · Asian Geopolitics and Ethnography · Cambodian History and Society · Computer Science · Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies

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