Contribution short abstract:

What does it mean to be a researcher amidst the humanitarian chaos on the Polish-Ukrainian border in 2022? How can personal involvement be balanced with the need for distance? This contribution explores the role of researchers and the ethical challenges of conducting fieldwork in crisis settings.

Contribution long abstract:

The more vulnerable the research participants, the more critical it becomes to reflect on the ethical implications of research methods. How should researchers employing an emic approach address participant vulnerability? How can the voices of those engaged in humanitarian action on the border be amplified without causing re-traumatization? When and where is it appropriate to interview displaced Ukrainians? How can the complex social dynamics of humanitarian action on the Polish-Ukrainian border in 2022 be captured while ensuring an ethically sound ethnographic approach?

My doctoral dissertation examines the humanitarian infrastructure along the Polish-Ukrainian border and the migratory trajectories of displaced Ukrainians. It is based on 18 months of fieldwork, conducted from April 2022 to October 2023, involving participant observation and semi-structured interviews with displaced Ukrainians and volunteers.

In this contribution, I aim to highlight the unique methodological challenges of navigating dual roles as both a researcher and a member of the studied community—whether as a volunteer or a displaced Ukrainian. How distinct or blurred are the boundaries between these roles? How essential is it to document informal conversations in the role of a volunteer, and how ethical is it to do so?

I also explore the best practices for amplifying the voices of all humanitarian participants and how sensory observations—such as auditory, olfactory, and visual methods—can enrich our understanding of the realities on the border. Ultimately, I aim to share insights into the lessons learned from these methodological challenges and discuss how they can inform future research in crisis settings.