"DOING FIELDWORK IN AUTHORITARIAN CONTEXTS"
Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS)
Graduate Workshop for Social Science
Co-Hosted by TUFS Peace and Conflict Studies
Date: Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Time: 15:00 - 18:00
Venue: Room 306, The Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA),
Tokyo University of Foreign Studies http://www.aa.tufs.ac.jp/en/
When doing fieldwork in authoritarian contexts, researchers are often faced with a wide range of challenges related to insecurity, surveillance, limited access to data sources, and the suspicions of both the authorities and the subjects of the study. The hurdles are varied, and raise many important questions. How is research affected and limited by its political environment? What are the practical challenges related to the conduct of research in an authoritarian context? What sort of moral, ethical, and methodological questions may be faced by the researcher? How can research be reframed under the constraints of the political environment? What is the impact of new communication technologies on research in authoritarian contexts? These are the types of questions that we aim to raise during this workshop. To explore these themes, we will invite a selection of well-established and young scholars with expertise conducting field research in different geographic areas.
Presentations are to be 15 minutes long, followed by 10 minutes of Q&A.
Opening Remarks (15:00-15:10)
Marilene Karam (PhD Candidate, TUFS)
Introduction of the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies Graduate Workshop for Social Science
First Panel (15:10-16:25)
Eri Hashimoto (Japan Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS) / Kyushu University)
"Doing Fieldwork under Ethnic Tension in South Sudan and Uganda:Moral Dilemmas and their Potentials"
Koichi Kawamura, (Deputy Director, Southeast Asian Studies Group I, Area Studies Center, Institute of Developing Economies - Japan External Trade Organization (IDE-JETRO))
"Like a treasure hunter in a tropical forest: Exploring for official documents in Indonesia's cluttered government offices"
Yves Mirman (PhD Candidate at CHERPA- Sciences Po Aix-en-Provence/ Aix-Marseille University)
"Fieldwork and Surveillance: The case of research in social science in Jordan and Lebanon"
Discussant: Khalil Dahbi, (PhD Candidate, TUFS)
Second Panel (16:40-17:55)
Aiko Nishikida (Associate Professor, The Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA), Tokyo University of Foreign Studies)
"Difficulties in doing research on Palestinian refugees in the Middle East"
Shinichi Takeuchi, (Director-General, Area Studies Center, Institute of Developing Economies - Japan External Trade Organization (IDE-JETRO))
"Touching on sensitive issues: Reflection about fieldworks in Rwanda"
Xu-Xing, (Associate Professor, Institute for Advanced Studies in Asia, The University of Tokyo）
Title TBC (Research Interests: Legal Reform and Civic Participation in China)
Discussant: Hinata Imai (PhD Candidate, TUFS)
Concluding Remarks (17:55-18:00)
Marilene Karam (PhD Candidate, TUFS)
No pre-registration required.
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