Challenges of Ethnographic Research with War Migrants from Ukraine

Abstract

In this short reflection on ethnographic research with forced migrants who arrived in Poland after February 24, 2022, I would like to address topics that to me - as an anthropologist, Ukrainian studies specialist and researcher of Ukrainian communities in Poland, including war migrants - seem crucial in designing a research project in cooperation with people who fled from Ukraine. These are primarily issues related to research ethics, the situation of difficult research in cooperation with potentially traumatized people, positioned by popular discourses as refugees and victims of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In addition, my reflection concerns access to the site, the researcher's involvement and responsibility, the specificity of the situation in which this research is conducted, as well as problems and challenges facing their archiving and representation. I will shortly indicate the threats that researchers must take into account, such as revictimization, lack of psychological tools, burdens and burnout of the researcher, and the further life of the constructed ethnographic knowledge, built on the experience of war migrants from Ukraine. I also include some practical tips on designing conversations with war migrants from Ukraine. In addition to the indicated challenges of ethnographic research in cooperation with forced migrants from Ukraine, the paper contains an appeal for a radical increase in ethical standards in a situation of war and forced migration.

Keywords

• war migrants
• Ukraine
• ethics
• ethnographic fieldwork