Emotional and Ethical Challenges for Field Research in Africa: The Story behind the Findings

Thomson, Susan;Ansoms, An;Murison, Jude
(2012) ISBN: [978-113726374-2], published

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Authors
  • Thomson, SusanHampshire College
    Scientific Director/Editor
  • Ansoms, AnUCLouvain
    Scientific Director/Editor
  • Murison, JudeUniversité d'Anvers
    Scientific Director/Editor
Abstract
Academic literature rarely gives an account of the ‘story behind the findings’, meaning the ethical challenges and emotional pitfalls the researcher is confronted with before, during and after being in the field. Nonetheless, these quagmires impact the research process. They deserve proper attention, not only to fathom the inevitable bias in researchers’ position in the field and to assess the quality of the research findings, but also to show that the façade of ‘scientific validity and neutrality’ often hides a pragmatic approach that shapes the research process. This book gathers the ‘stories behind the findings’ of a variety of researchers who have done extensive field research in the Great Lakes Region of Central Africa (Burundi, Eastern DRC, Rwanda, and Uganda). Each chapter opens with a short summary of the research question, the methodology used, and the type of field research undertaken. The chapters then explore particular sets of challenges one can be confronted with when engaging in local-level research in difficult situations like in the Great Lakes Region of Africa.
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Thomson, S., Ansoms, A., & Murison, J. (2012). Emotional and Ethical Challenges for Field Research in Africa: The Story behind the Findings. Palgrave. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022278X13000475