Dangerous Fieldwork

‘Dangerous fieldwork’ takes place in contexts where violence is commonplace, or with subjects that often use violence, elevating the risk of victimisation for both researcher or research subjects. This might include conducting fieldwork in or around conflicts, in settings beset by social and criminal violence; or with armed combatants, criminals, gang members, prison inmates, and a broad range of ‘high risk’ research subjects. Whilst danger can vary dramatically depending on contextual factors beyond our control, as researchers we can think through how to engage with the field and others around us to reduce risks. The golden rule, insofar as it is possible to have one, is ‘know your context’.