The politics and challenges of doing field research in humanitarian disasters

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Watch the recording of the webinar here

That secondary traumatic stress (STS) and its variants – vicarious traumatization, compassion fatigue and burn-out – have implications for the professional well-being of humanitarians is by now well known. Less is known about the impact of STS on researchers, the research process, results and environments in which research is carried out.

Based on personal experiences with archival research on border deaths, Tamara Last will discuss the role of empathy and emotions in research, academic environments and project management; the sometimes problematic notion of objectivity that may function as a distancing/silencing mechanism, a coping strategy or a privilege; and, finally, what make people vulnerable to STS, but also how persons with trauma experiences may possess useful skills for coping.

This webinar is the second in a planned webinar series on challenges facing field researchers. Find the recording from the first webinar with Roddy Brett here. 

SPEAKERS
Dr. Tamara Last completed her doctoral research on deaths along southern EU borders in 2018 at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. As part of her doctoral research, she managed the Deaths at the Borders Database (see www.borderdeaths.org). After completing her PhD, she wrote an article reflecting on the implications of conducting traumatogenic research. The article can be accessed here. 

Ninna Nyberg Sørensen is a Senior Researcher and Head of the Migration & Global Order Department at DIIS. Apart from researching international migration, she is currently engaged in a study of the emotional challenges facing researchers conducting empirical research in insecure places.

PROGRAMME
14.00-14.10     Welcome and introduction, Ninna Nyberg Sørensen
14.10-14.40     Secondary trauma among researchers, Tamara Last
14.40-15.10     Dialogue, comments and Q&A, moderated by Ninna Nyberg Sørensen
15.10-15.15     Wrap up

Recorded on Tuesday 18 May 2021, 14.00-15.15