Ethnographers have therefore accumulated a wealth of insights into the
unique challenges and desired fieldwork strategies in risky environments or
war zones.Goldsmith (2003)maintains that working in cultures of violence
does not only involve “fumbling, fear and frustration” (p. 103), but there
are a range of issues that can become of paramount importance when
doing research in unstable political contexts. These include the importance
of methodological pluralism, the need to attend to the particular ethical
challenges of working in conflict zones, as well as the crucial role of local
mentors in order to get access, and better understand and survive the field
experience.
One of the more important aspects of doing fieldwork in seemingly dan-
geroussituations is methodological pluralism and adaptability, conceptual
flexibility, and openness to different data sources. This entails being able to
revise and reassess research methods in light of local circumstances as well
as using available source materials pragmatically. Certainly, in some politi-
cally sensitive or dangerous situations, certain data-collection techniques,
such as recording data might not be feasible. Indeed, a few times upon
entering an interviewees’ office I was told in no uncertain terms that I could
get all the information I wanted but the recorder had to go! While I could
keep detailed notes (even if codified and anonymized), other researchers
have found that to do so in particularly precarious circumstances can
become hazardous to researchers and informants as for example the notes
may contain information about informants’ political or illegal activities
(seeKovats-Bernat, 2002).In such situations, it is advisable to memorize
entire conversations as meticulously as possible or jot down notes on
scraps of paper surreptitiously, and then ensure the expedient transfer of
data out of the danger zone. Therefore, data may, at times, be collected
in a piece-meal fashion, yet can be triangulated with other types of data in
the future.
Furthermore, in conflict areas, diversity of data is particularly impor-
tant. Entry into the field from as many angles as possible, including
through formal and informal contacts; “snowballing,” starting from
various social and institutional vantage points in and outside academia;
and establishing institutional linkages and research “homes” in local
universities, NGOs or aid agencies, can crucially facilitate access, support,
and safety. While such connections often can take a while to establish as it
also always involves gaining the support and trust of local stakeholders,
such social and institutional linkages are the reward of being in a particular
field site for extended periods of time. Indeed, the day A’mar opened that
door to an empty office, he opened for me the doors to Palestine.
28 CHRISTINE LEUENBERGER