Ethical Dimensions of Researching Violence

Researching violence delves into social phenomena with multiple contexts of risks of harm, requiring identification and management for ethical conduct of research. Researchers may be exposed to vicarious trauma risks arising from participants’ experiences. They may be harmed if they are present when violence is used. Research participants who are, or have been, violence targets can face risks from synchronous threats and/or past trauma triggers. There are potential legal and institutional risks arising from engaging with contexts of violence which may be subject to criminal or civil legal proceedings. There is a risk that research findings may give rise to social interpretations and actions which are prejudicial to particular populations, such as stereotypes attributing use of violence on the basis of cultural identity. In situations of war or political conflict, researchers may be positioned in oppositional terms, facing silencing or delegitimisation.

This session aims to provide violence researchers with opportunities to speak about their experiences of undertaking social research into violence in society, the risks arising from such research and their strategies to anticipate, plan for and manage these, as well as opportunities to learn from situations where ethical problems manifested in the research process. The session also invites strategies supporting the wellbeing of researchers and research participants.