Biographical Research in Extreme Places and Difficult to Reach Areas: Challenges and Strategies

Biographical research carried out in places which are difficult to reach, either because of geographic or security reasons, will be discussed in this session. The intention is that the papers address planning in relation to field research in places that require effort, negotiation and care for researchers to access and develop their work.

Contributions on methodological challenges and ethical issues are also expected. Studies about specific areas, such as indigenous villages, closed institutions, regions of petty and organized crime, military conflicts or exploration in the open sea, are also welcome. Areas that have experienced natural disasters or regions with extreme temperatures, as well as places with a focus on contagious diseases, also require researchers to deal with several obstacles. Discussions about this kind of experience can contribute to the production of knowledge about ways to make research viable in the face of these types of difficulties and how biographies may help to understand social phenomena.

Investigations in regions of war, prisons and disaster areas, for instance, demand strategies that involve logistics, safety precautions and planning adaptations. These are the topics that we intend to discuss and encourage in this session.