Ethics & Security in Fieldwork – Practical Questions, Research Reflections & Managing Challenges

This half-day workshop is organised by the Security, Conflict and Justice (SCJ) and the Civil Society, Development and Democracy (CDD) Pathways and is open to all ESRC and non-ESRC funded PhD and MA Social Research students within the WRDTP’s seven partner universities. Whilst this workshop is aimed at CDD and SCJ Pathway students, PGRs from all seven interdisciplinary Pathways are welcome to attend.

This workshop will bring together academics, practitioners and PGRs to consider the practical, security and ethical challenges presented by conducting fieldwork in risky environments. Drawing upon the expertise of a security practitioner who has assisted NGOs and academic researchers to pursue fieldwork activities in challenging security contexts, the panelist will offer practical insights into how to conduct fieldwork securely, including advice that can be integrated into designing risk management protocols. The panel will also include two presentations from academics with experience of conducting research in challenging settings. As well as reflecting upon their own fieldwork experiences, they will also offer insights into the ethical challenges to be considered when conducting fieldwork in settings impacted by issues of crime, conflict and insecurity. This panel is designed to stimulate PGR reflection on how to identify/address/manage the security and ethical challenges arising within their own doctoral research projects. In the table discussions, they will then have the opportunity to discuss their fieldwork plans with the guest speakers to gain expert insights into how they can best prepare for the field.

Students attending this training will gain:

– Practical insights into risk-management and conducting fieldwork safely in challenging environments from both security practitioner and academic researcher perspectives;

– Critical insights into the normative and ethical challenges that should be consider when conducting fieldwork in complex security settings;

– The opportunity to engage with experienced security practitioners and academic researchers to both critically reflect on their own fieldwork plans and discuss the challenges presented within their doctoral research projects.

Dr Hanna Ketola (Newcastle University)
Hanna’s research explores the politics of, war, peace and militarism and is grounded in feminist theory and ethnographic methods. She is interested in questions of agency, affect and emotions, familial ties, and subaltern politics. Hanna has regional expertise is South Asia, specifically Nepal where she has done extensive field research. Prior to joining Newcastle Hanna was engaged in several postdoctoral projects, including though her ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship at King’s College London and the UKRI-funded ‘Civil War Paths’ project at University of York. She completed her PhD from King’s College London, where her thesis focused on women’s political agency in the context of peacebuilding in post-conflict Nepal.
Dr Saba Joshi (University of York)
Saba Joshi is a Lecturer in Gender and Development, at the Department of Politics and Deputy Director of the Interdisciplinary Global Development Centre, at the University of York. Her research focuses on gender, agrarian politics, and social movements linked to land and natural resources in South and Southeast Asia. Her research has been published in journals such as The Journal of Peasant Studies, Third World Quarterly, Globalizations and the International Journal of Feminist Politics (recipient of 2020 Enloe Award- best article by an early career scholar). She is currently working on developing her doctoral research on Cambodia into an academic monograph.
Mr Gregory Beattie
Gregory Beattie serves as the Global Operations & Plans Manager with IDG Security Group and is a global security operations, risk & crisis management professional. With a diverse background, he has navigated complex security, humanitarian, and access challenges through roles in the private security sector, stabilisation and development agencies, and humanitarian organisations. Some of his previous roles have included Global Roving Security Manager with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), Mobile Safety Advisor with the International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO), Co-Chair of the UN OCHA Nigeria Access Working Group and Chair of the UNICEF NE Syria CAAFAG Working Group. He has also had various involvements in frontline negotiation, from CIMIC/CMCoord functions, engagement with state and non-state armed actors and crisis management negotiation. In his involvement with the private security sector, Gregory has performed a range of operations and project management functions, involved with large-scale SSR, crisis management and guarding projects. He has extensive operational experience in Afghanistan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Myanmar, Nigeria, Syria, Turkey, Uganda and Ukraine.