An anthropological perspective: dealing with emotions when conducting ethnography in conflict-affected areas

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.