Workshop by Dr. Jasmin Dall’Agnola, Postdoctoral Visiting Fellow at GW’s Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies
October 25, 2023, 2:00 – 3:30 pm (EDT)
Room 505, Elliott School of International Affairs, 1957 E St NW, Washington, DC 20052
Apart from some rare personal accounts where researchers reflect on doing research in and on Russia and China, the ethical and methodological challenges of conducting research under surveillance are rarely discussed in published form because they may raise unwanted attention from the authorities, and this could create barriers for scholars wishing to access the region in the future. Nevertheless, reflections on how to navigate the quandaries that might arise when doing research under the watchful eyes of the authorities are useful for both early-career and more senior scholars. Drawing on existing literature and case studies, this workshop aims to equip scholars with the necessary skills to identify and mitigate the ethical, personal, and methodological risks and challenges when managing research in more closely monitored societies. It explores questions, including:
- How does researchers’ sexuality/gender contribute to their experiences of surveillance?
- How do scholars maximize their respondents and their own physical safety and mental well-being prior to, during and after fieldwork?
- How does surveillance impact researchers’ knowledge production?
This workshop draws on Dr. Dall’Agnola’s newest article Fieldwork under Surveillance: A Research Note (Surveillance & Society, 21 (2): 229-234) and could be of interest to GW students, early-career and senior researchers who are conducting fieldwork/field research in more closely monitored countries. The field can be both online and offline and can be their country of residence or a foreign country.
Audience size: up to 30 people
Length of the workshop: 1-1.5 hours
Recording: to ensure the freedom for participants to ask any questions and share their experience the workshop will be run under the Chatham House Rule and recording will be made.
