Analysis of the Researcher’s Attitudes in the Process of Studying Sensitive Topics: the Experience of Interviewing Participants of Military Conflicts

Abstract

The article is devoted to methodological problems that arise when conducting high-quality interviews on sensitive topics, in particular with participants of military conflicts. The author analyzes the contradiction between the traditional requirement of researcher neutrality and the need to establish trust with an informant. Using the example of our own experience in interviewing people who participated in combat operations in Afghanistan and Ukraine, it is demonstrated that strict adherence to the principle of neutrality can get in the way of obtaining in-depth information. An alternative approach based on honesty, self-reflection and procedural objectivity is proposed. The author argues that the researcher’s open expression of his own position and willingness to engage in dialogue make it possible to overcome the “wall of empathy” and establish productive contact even given significant differences in views. The article contributes to the discussion on the balance between scientific impartiality and researcher’s involvement in qualitative sociology. The proposed methodological recommendations can be useful in conducting research on complex social and political topics.

Keywords

• military studies
• interviewer’s attitudes
• researcher’s objectivity
• study of military identity
• self-reflection
• qualitative methodology