Paper short abstract:

This paper examines how un/shared intimacies and affects shaped research with queer and trans Kurds in Amed, Turkey. It critiques cis-heteronormative assumptions on intimacy, proposing "ethnography as a cause" to explore the transformative potential of engaged, intimate and decolonial methodologies.

Paper long abstract:

Drawing on 18 months of ethnographic research with queer and trans Kurds in the highly securitized city of Amed (Diyarbakır), this paper examines how shared intimacies, affects, and dis/attachments influenced my research, addressing the ethical and security considerations that emerged throughout the study. Using key concepts from Kurdish lubunya communities—such as "chameleonhood" (the practice of adapting by assuming another's identity), "dava" (cause), and "bedel" (debt)—which connect queer and trans Kurds to their national struggle, I critique cis-heteronormative assumptions of intimacy in anthropology and explore queer ethnographic methods that embrace adaptability, care, and “going stealth” in response to shifting security and ethical contexts. I propose the idea of “ethnography as a cause” to rethink how our interactions shape ethical loyalties, accountability, and responsibility, both to informants and the discipline. Rather than simply “giving voice” to informants or uncovering hidden truths, I draw from decolonial methodologies to reflect on the ethnographic bonds we form with informants and the broader value of our research. I show how research becomes a site of political and emotional engagement, shaped by intimate struggles, aspirations, and solidarities, highlighting how affective and intimate connections, as well as shared experiences of marginalization, can inform ethical, accountable research practices. Critiquing conventional understandings of intimacy as “sex acts,” I explore the transformative potential of engaged intimate methodologies, where researcher-informant collaboration is central to knowledge production and the development of more reflexive, ethical research practices.