Short Abstract:

The ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia has been called the most fully documented war in history, and still, it raised many challenging ethical and methodological considerations. How can we talk about the unspoken and unheard, even as much of the horror remains untold and untellable?

Long Abstract:

The ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia has been called the most fully documented war in history, with many developments appearing online almost instantly. This has raised many ethical challenges to researchers. What are the most challenging ethical and methodological considerations. What topics draw the attention of local and international researchers and what filters and lenses do they bring? Which social, demographic, and ethnic groups, and geographic regions are most represented or grossly underrepresented? How can minority voices find paths for dissemination of emic knowledge, experience, and methods? How can we help overcome the trauma of being silenced and encourage emic knowledge production? How can we undertake projects without access to ‘normal’ fieldwork methods? In these circumstances, how should we address issues of safety, ethics, and the researcher’s responsibility for the fieldwork materials? What alternative sources might be used? How can we advocate for, amplify, and honour the work of those killed by the invaders? Finally, how can we use our skills and expertise to say something about the unspoken and unheard, even as much of the horror remains untold and untellable?

The colossal shake-up of the full-scale invasion silenced all narratives for a brief moment, what Bernhard Waldenfels describes as falling into an “out-of-order” state, metaphorically wounded or injured. The active-to-passive balance shifts sharply to passivity and the process of healing requires restarting narrative and its interpretation.

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