Research and Conflict: Violence & Ethics

1. Research and Conflict: Violence & EthicsRob KevlihanDSAI / TIDI / TIME Research for Results WorkshopTrinity College, Dublin, 9th May 2016

2. Research and Conflict: Violence & Ethics • Conflict & Violence • Are they the same thing?

3. Research and Conflict: Violence & Ethics • Varieties of violence • Research on violent conflict • Research in situations of violent conflict • Practical considerations • Ethical Considerations

4. Varieties of Violence • Johann Galtung Source: Johan Galtung (2004), “Violence, War and their Impact, On Visible and Invisible Effects of Violence”, Forum for Intercultural Philosophy, available at: http://them.polylog.org/5/fgj-en.htm

5. Varieties of Violence Structural Violence Gini Index of levels of inequality within countries worldwide. Available at: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/2014_Gini_Index_World_Map,_income_inequality_distribution_by_country_per_World_Bank.svg/2000px-2014_Gini_Index_World_Map,_income_inequality_distribution_by_country_per_World_Bank.svg.png • Structural violence exists when some groups, classes, genders, nationalities, etc are assumed to have, and in fact do have, more access to goods, resources, and opportunities than other groups, classes, genders, nationalities, etc, • And this unequal advantage is built into the very social, political and economic systems that govern societies, states and the world. • [Source: http://www.turning-the-tide.org/files/Structural%20Cultural%20Direct%20Violence%20Hand-out.pdf ]

6. Varieties of Violence Cultural Violence Statue of Egyptian Soldiers crossing the Suez canal. Source: [Source: http://www.turning-the-tide.org/files/Structural%20Cultural%20Direct%20Violence%20Hand-out.pdf ] • Cultural violence is the prevailing attitudes and beliefs that we have been taught since childhood and that surround us in daily life about the power and necessity of violence • [Source: http://www.turning-the-tide.org/files/Structural%20Cultural%20Direct%20Violence%20Hand-out.pdf ]

7. Varieties of Violence Cultural Violence Or Somaliland…. Memorial to the breakaway of Somaliland, Hargeisa. Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Hargeysa_memorial.jpg • Whether in the US….. Korean War memorial, Washington D.C. Source: https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/36/82490561_a059a71157.jpg

8. Direct Violence • Direct violence is the violence that is visible – for Galtung this direct violence is the manifestation or outcome of structural and cultural violence • Kalyvas (2006, p19) defines it as the deliberate infliction of harm on people • It can take different forms – either interpersonal or between groups • Interpersonal violence can include Gender Based Violence (GBV) at the individual level Dublin Riots, 2006. Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/Dublin_Riots_25-02-06.jpg

9. Collective Violence • Collective Violence has been defined by US political sociologist Charles Tilly as episodic social interaction that: • Immediately inflicts physical damage on persons and / or objects • Involves at least two perpetrators of damage and • Results at least in part from coordination among persons who perform the damaging acts • Can include everything from a food riot to a global or regional war

10. War Carl Von Clauswitz (1780-1831) • “War is therefore an act of violence to compel our opponent to fulfill our will..... War is a continuation of policy by other means” • Published in his book On War (Original German publication, called Von Kriege published in 1832), English translation published 1873, available at: http://www.clausewitz.com/readings/OnWar1873/BK1ch01.html

11. Research on Violent Conflict • Types of Research on Violent Conflict (Macro level) • International Conflict • Comparative Research (Cross country comparisons) • Area studies (Regional or country level specializations)

12. Research on Violent Conflict • Types of Research on Violent Conflict (Micro level) • Dynamics of collective violence at the local level (including GBV, patterns of recruitment and mobilization , local drivers of conflict etc) • Research on cultural violence, domestic violence, individual level predictors for violence, and individual consequences of violence

13. Research in Violent Conflict • Can include research on violent conflict but also includes…. • Data collection for international / national statistical purposes (e.g. census, UNICEF MICS, Afro barometer etc) • Applied research for programming purposes (Rapid Assessments, Baseline surveys for health, wash, food security and nutrition, crop assessments, livelihoods analysis etc)

14. Practical Considerations • Reliance on qualitative data and research methods • Where quantitative / survey data is collected, the potential limitations of this data (especially at the national level) • Data validity and reliability – surveillance, suspicion and intimidation • Conflict dynamics and potentially rapid change

15. Practical Considerations • Understanding local context, language, culture etc including pre-conflict realities, patterns, ways of life… • Understanding the nature of the conflict and your positioning as a researcher with respect to the conflict and related violence • Being clear about the purpose of your research – Research for whom? Goodhand (2000) – the information economy of the conflict • Understanding patterns of violence and identifying ‘research space’

16. Ethical Considerations • Campbell (2009) • Obtaining informed consent • Maintaining confidentiality and data security • Judging Risk and Benefit • Researcher Security • Giving back / giving voice

17. Ethical Considerations • Do no harm? • Individual level: Risk of re-traumatization / post traumatic stress; importance of specialized skills (e.g. with regard to GBV) • Social context: Political economy of the conflict (Mary B Anderson), implicit messages, conflict fetish (Goodhand, 2000), counterinsurgency (see, for example Jaschik, 2015 re Human Terrain Systems in Afghanistan).

18. Conclusions • Research during situations of conflict / violence is challenging from both practical and ethical perspectives • However, despite challenges, it remains both necessary and important • Equally important is continued research in transitions to peace and in post-conflict situations (including past focused research to learn more about conflicts in immediate post conflict periods)

19. Sample Resources • Campbell, S. (2010) Ethics of Research in Conflict and Post-Conflict Environments. In: Program on States and Security. The Graduate Center, City University New York, New York. 11. Available at: http://www.susannacampbell.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Campbell-Ethics-Lit-Review-14-01-10-Cite-copy.pdf • Davis Rodrigues, C. (2014) Doing Research in Violent Settings: Ethical Considerations and Ethics Committees. In: DSD Working Papers on Research Security. Social Sciences Research Council, Brooklyn, NY. Available at: http://webarchive.ssrc.org/working-papers/DSD_ResearchSecurity_05_Rodrigues.pdf • Ford, N., E. J. Mills, et al. (2009) Ethics of conducting research in conflict settings. Conflict and Health 3(1): 1-9 available at: http://conflictandhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1752-1505-3-7 • .

20. Sample Resources • Goodhand, J. (2000) Research in conflict zones: ethics and accountability. Forced Migration Review 8: 12-15 available at: http://www.fmreview.org/sites/fmr/files/FMRdownloads/en/FMRpdfs/FMR08/fmr8.4.pdf • Jaschik, S (2015), Embedded Conflicts, in Inside Higher Education, July 7th, 2015, available at: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/07/07/army-shuts-down-controversial-human-terrain-system-criticized-many-anthropologists • MERG, C. (2012) Ethical principles and risks in collecting data on violence against children: A review of available literature. In. Statistics and Monitoring Section/Division of Policy and Strategy, UNICEF, New York available at: http://www.childinfo.org/files/Childprotection_EPDRCLitReview_final_lowres.pdf • World Health Organization (2007) WHO Ethical and safety recommendations for researching, documenting and monitoring sexual violence in emergencies. WHO, Geneva, available at: http://www.who.int/gender/documents/OMS_Ethics&Safety10Aug07.pdf

21. Other References • Galtung, Johann (2004), “Violence, War and their Impact, On Visible and Invisible Effects of Violence”, Forum for Intercultural Philosophy, available at: http://them.polylog.org/5/fgj-en.htm • Kalyvas, Stathis N. (2006), “Chapter 1: Concepts” in The Logic of Violence in Civil Wars (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), pp1-31 • Tilly, Charles (2003), “Chapter 1: Varieties of Violence” in The Politics of Collective Violence, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), pp 1-25, available at: http://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/samples/cam034/2002074067.pdf