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Please forward this to anybody likely to be interested!
EASA Conference 2010 Crisis and imagination
Workshop (W086): "Ethics in conflict: doing research in conflict areas
and the ethical dilemmas that arise"
Convenors
Erella Grassiani (VU University) [log in to unmask]
Nerina Weiss (University of Oslo) [log in to unmask]
Short Abstract
When working in conflict areas, anthropologists have to deal with often
contradictory ethical dilemmas. In this workshop we wish to tackle the
different structural levels of ethical obligations and methodological
dilemmas encountered in the field.
Long Abstract
For several years, anthropologists have been concerned with ethics in
research and writing. The active involvement of anthropologists with
military operations in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has further
stirred discussion and has even led to the change of the code of ethics
of the AAA (2006). This code, and others like it, are however, rather
rigid and do not take into account the different (often contradicting)
levels of ethical obligations and dilemmas researchers working in
conflict areas continuously encounter (Bourgois 1990). Our ethical
obligations towards our interlocutors, the states in which we work and
expectations by our research institutions and sponsors are often
incompatible.
As researchers we continuously have to juggle between different
positions and especially when studying conflict we are persistently
confronted with expectations of taking sides - not only by academia and
our readers, but first and foremost by the people we work with.
Anthropology has historically been a discipline of the underprivileged
and the study of perpetrators of violence is still, unjustly, being
looked upon with suspicion. How do anthropologists, who either work with
victims or perpetrators, deal with the expectations of our interlocutors
and colleagues? Do we necessarily have to take side with our informants,
do we (have to) criticize them, how far do we engage in their struggle
for justice and how do we represent our findings, and ourselves to
different audiences?
We welcome contributions that tackle such ethical issues. Contributions
may analyse these ethical dilemmas structurally or methodologically, and
address questions of (re)presentation.
--
Nerina Weiss
Research Fellow
Department of Social Anthropology
University of Oslo
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