Embedded Research, Positionality and Situated Knowledges in Military Institutions

Researchers in military institutions often face double expectations: contributing to both academic discussions and military research and education. Approaching these researchers as embedded researchers highlights this duality or ‘insider-outsider’ status, which raises questions of positionality and reflexivity (Carreiras, 2016; Ben-Ari et al., 2023). We study how embedded military researchers make sense of their own position and the challenges they face, using the framework of situated knowledges introduced by feminist theorist Donna Haraway. Situated knowledges refer to the idea that all knowledge is produced within the material, social, and cultural contexts in which it is constructed. People’s positionality shapes what they can know about a given phenomenon, which in military contexts is strongly influenced by military rank, access, and contemporary security landscapes. We identify two categories of embedded military researchers: those holding civilian academic positions and those in military research roles. Through empirical analysis, we explore how embedded military researchers perceive their own positionality, potential differences between these groups, and how they interact within military institutions. We argue that all actors negotiate their positionality in different situations, revealing a fluidity in insider-outsider status. This demonstrates that researchers are aware of the situated knowledges they hold in different settings. Our study also shows that researchers can experience role ambiguity and, in some cases, struggle with deep-seated doubts and discomfort in their research. This study contributes to a better understanding of positionality and insider/outsider dynamics in military research institutions, as well as broader discussions of embedded research.