Exploring the Research Backstage: Methodological, theoretical and ethical issues surrounding local research brokers in insecure zones

Time period:

1 January 2018 – 31 December 2020

Project leader:

Maria Eriksson Baaz

Project member:

Swati Parashar, Mats Utas

Funder:

Swedish Research Council

Type of award:

Project grant

Total funding:

4,500,000 SEK

Most research in conflict and other insecure settings would not be possible without brokers from and based in the research context. Yet, their crucial contribution and situation tend to be shrouded in silence. This research will provide novel insights into the dynamics that shape the triangular relationships between researchers, research brokers and research data in insecure zones. Knowledge about such dynamics appears particularly urgent at this point of time as many research institutions are increasingly regulating and restricting fieldwork access of their staff, leading to more outsourcing to local research assistants. The project is particularly unique since research brokers will form part of the research team and since one of the outputs is a book in which research brokers share their experiences. Empirically, the project focuses on the DR Congo, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka and the Maoist insurgency in India. Theoretically, the research draws upon insights from: 1) conflict research, in particular the complex dynamic of social navigation in such settings; 2) academic debates on research ethics; 3) the sociology of knowledge production in academia, and 4) critical post-colonial theory focusing on identity and power inequalities in knowledge production in and beyond North-South relations. Methodologically it will be conducted through interviews with researchers and brokers and a workshop with brokers that will also result in a book.