This indispensable book provides insider knowledge and gives confidence to researchers - both those at the very start of their careers or during their studies, and experienced researchers who want to consider positionality, responsibility and the moral obligation of the researcher in new ways.

Chapter 1 Introduction (Roger Mac Ginty, Roddy Brett, Birte Vogel).- Chapter 2 How I dealt with my ethics committee, and survived (Jonathan Fisher). Chapter 3 When Humans Become Data (Roxani Krystalli).- Chapter 4 Researching Over-Researched Societies (Grainne Kelly).- Chapter 5 Preparing for fieldwork interviews (Berit Bliesemann de Guevara & Birgit Poopuu).- Chapter 6 Being Indiana Jones in IR: The pressure to do ‘real’ fieldwork (Laura Routley and Katharine Wright).- Chapter 7 Interview locations (Paul Jackson).- Chapter 8 From risk aversion to risk management (Sophie Roborgh).- Chapter 9 Researching ‘militant groups’ (James W. McAuley).- Chapter 10 The Ethics of Ethnographic Peace and Conflict Research (Gearoid Millar).- Chapter 11 Solitary Decision-Making and Fieldwork Safety (Max Gallien).- Chapter 12 Making Contact: Interviewing Rebels in Sierra Leone (Kieran Mitton).- Chapter 13 Participatory Action Research: Challenges and rewards in fifteen field lessons (Georgina McAllister).- Chapter 14 Conflict ethnography goes online: Chatnography of the Ukrainian volunteer battalions (Ilmari Käihkö).- Chapter 15 Negotiating relationships with vulnerable communities (Nick Morgan).- Chapter 16 Gatekeepers (Gyda M. Sindre).- Chapter 17 Working with Translators: Implications of the Translator’s Positionality for the Research Process and Knowledge Production (Kristina Tschunkert).- Chapter 18 Facing Violence in the Field (Roddy Brett).- Chapter 19 Interviewing Perpetrators of Genocide (Manolo E. Vela Castañeda).- Chapter 20 Interviewing Elites (Christine Wade).- Chapter 21 (Secrecy and silence in fieldwork: reflections on feminist research on violence in Latin America (Mo Hume).- Chapter 22 Read the Room: Side-by-Side methodology in a Belfast ice hockey arena (Eric Lepp).- Chapter 23 Traversing Fieldwork with Imperfect Language Skills (Simon Philpott).- Chapter 24 Confessions of a Local Researcher (Nemanja Džuverović).- Chapter 25 Gendered challenges to fieldwork in conflict-affected areas (Kathleen M. Jennings).- Chapter 26 Race, positionality and the researcher (Sarah Njeri).- Chapter 27 Fixers and friends – local and international researchers (Morten Bøås).- Chapter 28 “Mummy I want to go home”: Children and Parenthood in the Field (Jenna Murray de López).- Chapter 29 Privilege (Stefanie Kappler).- Chapter 30 From the field back to academia (Malgorzata Polanska).- Chapter 31 The Politics and Practicalities of Writing (Birte Vogel and Roger Mac Ginty).- Chapter 32 Writing and the Ethics of Representation (Angela J. Lederach).- Chapter 33 Giving back: A conversation between researcher and refugee (Jessica Field and Ali Johar).

This unique companion is a much-needed guide for those who are embarking on field research in conflict-affected countries. In a break with academic tradition, the chapters are mainly written in the first person and contain personal accounts of the ethical and practical challenges of fieldwork. In the book, over thirty scholars reflect on the complexity of dealing with human subjects in conflict-affected contexts. This indispensable book provides insider knowledge and gives confidence to researchers - both those at the very start of their careers or during their studies, and experienced researchers who want to consider positionality, responsibility and the moral obligation of the researcher in new ways. Essential reading for students and scholars embarking upon fieldwork in International Relations, Politics, Sociology, Political Geography and Anthropology. Roger Mac Ginty is Professor at the School of Government and International Affairs, and Director of the Global Security Institute, both at Durham University, UK. He has conducted field research in Georgia, Lebanon, Uganda, Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sri Lanka, and the US. Roddy Brett is Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at the University of Bristol, UK. During thirteen years living in Latin America, he acted as Advisor to the UNDP and the UNHCHR and as Advisor on Indigenous Affairs to the Norwegian Embassy. In 2015, he led a UN investigation into the role of the delegations of victims in the Santos-FACRC-EP peace process. Birte Vogel is Lecturer in Humanitarianism, Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Manchester, UK. She has conducted fieldwork in Colombia, Cyprus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, India and Sri Lanka.

“Mac Ginty et al.’s book is a remarkable collection of personal experiences of scholars and academics who embarked on field research in countries affected by conflict. Regarded as essential reading for those embarking upon fieldwork in social science disciplines, this book is intended for any researcher who needs a guide for researching in such territories. … the authors have created an indispensable resource for any Ph.D. student or early career researcher who plans to conduct fieldwork in conflict areas.” (Adriana Marin,Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression, June 3, 2021)

“Finally, a book that takes us through what it actually feels like to conduct research in conflict zones! When you read these chapters, you’ll gain first-hand insight into the practical, emotional, and ethical aspects of fieldwork. You’ll understand how things work on the ground. You’ll know the joys and the pains of the researchers. You’ll appreciate the challenges and opportunities that often arise—and you’ll get ideas on how to circumvent the former and make the best of the latter. These accounts are honest, without varnish, at times amusing, other times moving—but always perceptive, thought-provoking, and useful. They provide an invaluable resource for any scholar getting ready to conduct research on peace and conflict outside of their home country.” (Severine Autesserre, Author of Peaceland and The Frontlines of Peace) “The first-person accounts in the book show that fieldwork does not stop when the researcher leaves the field—rather, it remains a continuousprocess that is implicated in political economies, obligations and privileges. What is particularly welcome about this collection is the sensitivity with which researchers have paid attention to the wider implications of being in the field.” (Marsha Henry, Centre for Women, Peace and Security, London School of Economics, UK)

Provides the only comprehensive guide for all scholars and students who are about to embark upon fieldwork in a conflict zone or conflict-affected society Includes first person testimonies from those who have been there in fascinating detail Contributes to the debate regarding research methodology in a practical way