Emotional and Ethical Challenges for Field Research in Africa: The Story Behind the Findings

Academic literature rarely gives an account of the ethical and emotional challenges the researcher is confronted with before, during and after being in the field. Nonetheless, they deserve proper attention, to help fathom the inevitable bias in the researchers' position in the field and to assess the quality of the research findings. In addition, they can show that the facade of 'scientific validity and neutrality' often hides a pragmatic approach that shapes the research process. Presenting their personal accounts, a variety of researchers who have done field research in the Great Lakes Region of Central Africa explore the challenges faced when engaging in local-level research in difficult situations.