Suchergebnisse

When studying violence and its consequences, it is necessary to conduct fieldwork in affected countries and communicate with the people on the ground. However, traveling and working within conflict and post-conflict countries comes with a particular set of challenges. This contribution discusses potential challenges that might arise when planning for and conducting fieldwork in a security-sensitive environment. It discusses unexpected instances that can occur before or during your fieldwork and what to do in a case of emergency. This article also stresses the importance of ethical responsibility before, during, and after fieldwork. Additional components of such responsibilities include respect toward the local culture, rules, and traditions as well as questions of race and power. Consistent awareness of such issues also stresses the significance of repeatedly reflecting on questions of who you as a researcher are, where you come from, how you are situated in the world, and what drives you. Successively, ethical responsibility does not end after your fieldwork but continues throughout the publication and dissemination of work. The article also discusses how to ensure confidentiality of interviews and privacy of respondents during publication and dissemination. Ultimately, this is helpful for students who are preparing for fieldwork in security-sensitive environments and encourages further reflection regarding necessary questions for such research endeavors.

¿In den letzten Jahrzehnten ist ein Wandel im Kriegsgeschehen zu verzeichnen, der sich auch auf die Kriegsforschung auswirkt.Prozesse der staatlichen Entgrenzung und Denationalisierung führten zu neuen Formen der Kriegsführung. Damit verbunden sind auch eine Regionalisierung und Transnationalisierung von Krieg und die Entstehung von regionalen Konfliktsystemen. Diese sind gekennzeichnet durch interdependente gewaltsame Konflikte unter Beteiligung unterschiedlicher Akteure, die auf verschiedenen Handlungsebenen aufgrund von gegensätzlichen Interessen miteinander konkurrieren und/oder in komplex

While many studies dealing with the problem of militarised refugees analyse when and how militarised refugees lead to a diffusion of violence, it is unclear what conditions contribute to the avoidance of it. The present paper tackles this issue by linking securitisation theory to research on militarised refugees and war diffusion and thus offers new insights into the conditions of prevention of conflict diffusion. Specifically, it compares the two cases of former Zaire (now DR Congo) and Tanzania. Both countries faced an influx of refugees and refugee militarisation following the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 and the civil war in Burundi in the 1990s, though their outcomes varied in terms of regional war diffusion. The article suggests that while certain security strategies such as closure of borders and the repatriation and expulsion of refugees might be successful in preventing conflict diffusion, they often include a breach of international refugee law when preventing bona fide refugees from entering the country. Hence, communicating and cooperating with peaceful members of the refugee communities and confronting those suspected of being responsible for the violence are necessary steps to deal with this issue.