Sensitive Research: Positionality and Reflexivity In Fragile and Violence-Affected Contexts

In recent years, growing interdisciplinary academic interest has emerged, focusing on the analysis of the researcher’s positionality and reflexivity within the context of research carried out in vulnerable environments affected by violence and conflicts. A number of studies in the social sciences have increasingly challenged the ideal of axiological neutrality in fieldwork, criticising the ways in which social scientists interact with the communities in which the research is conducted and raising questions about power, representation and ethics. Current debates have intensified in response to changes in research environments, characterised by political polarisation, social inequalities, armed conflicts and growing expectations regarding researchers’ ethical and political engagement in their respective fields.

This panel examines what kinds of qualitative re-approaches have emerged in the context of sensitive research that directly addresses threats to and violations of human rights around the world. In this regard, positionality not only determines the research design and interactions during fieldwork, but also influences the formulation of research questions, methodological decisions and the interpretation of results. This suggests that we should analyse how these research processes have been transforming and developing a critical commitment that rethinks situated knowledge, epistemological and personal reflexivity, and positionality as fundamental analytical and methodological issues. This panel also aims to link intersectional approaches with an emotion-based analysis, thereby ensuring a space that fosters an inclusive debate which goes beyond merely recounting fieldwork experiences, and instead becomes a rigorous session that contributes to this field of knowledge.