Paper short abstract:

I would like to discuss the findings I present in a chapter written for the book "Emotions, Ethics and Mass Atrocities" (to be published in 2025), titled "An anthropological perspective: dealing with emotions when conducting ethnography in conflict-affected areas"

Paper long abstract:

In this chapter I divide sections into 'before', 'during' and 'after' fieldwork, where I present 'lessons learned' in each section. One of the main arguments is that the discussion still needs to start within anthropology, I am hence very happy to see read this roundtable description (and believe to be a perfect fit!). Hereby the abstract of the chapter:

"Within anthropology, emotions have mostly been discussed in relation to reflexivity (e.g., Glynis, 2013; Davies & Spencer, 2010). It is, in other words, hence acknowledged that the ethnographer is the research tool, which raises the question how personal emotions impact the validity and reliability of ethnographic data. While this is a crucial question, there continues to be a lack of reflection on the personal impact of ‘bearing witness’ to traumatising events while conducting ethnography. In line with a slowly growing body of work on dealing with emotions within ethnography (e.g., Robben & Hinton, 2023), this chapter offers a lens on the personal impact of conducting fieldwork in conflict-affected settings. Through detailing the emotional impact I experienced during fieldwork in various places, this chapter demonstrates the importance of (secondary-)trauma awareness. As such, this chapter draws attention to the need for researchers to be aware of the emotional toll research takes, as well as the crucial need for institutional support within this process."