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“Doing the research I do has left scars”

Introduction

“doing the research i do has left scars”. Explore the unseen impact of transitional justice research on academics. This paper discusses ethical challenges, researcher wellbeing, and strategies for navigating sensitive topics in the field.

Abstract

Transitional justice research involves critical examination of difficult topics that can raise ethical and methodological issues for participants and for researchers. Empirical research is a common approach to transitional justice studies in the field, yet researchers’ accounts of the tensions that can arise when undertaking research in politically sensitive environments are largely missing from the scholarly literature. Informed by the insights of scholars and researchers who work in the transitional justice field, this paper aims to open discussion about the myriad ways that researching sensitive topics may affect researchers, and to bring attention to strategies used by researchers to negotiate these challenges. The paper concludes with some suggestions for improving the wellbeing of researchers when working with difficult topics in the field.

Review

The paper, evocatively titled “Doing the research I do has left scars,” promises a timely and critical examination of the often-overlooked human cost of conducting transitional justice research. The abstract clearly identifies a significant gap in scholarly literature: the personal and professional impact on researchers grappling with politically sensitive and ethically challenging topics. By focusing on the "myriad ways that researching sensitive topics may affect researchers" and strategies for negotiation, this paper steps beyond the usual focus on participant well-being to address the researcher's own experiences, which is a commendable and necessary shift in perspective for the field. This research holds substantial potential to enrich methodological and ethical discussions within transitional justice studies and beyond. The explicit aim to "open discussion" about researcher well-being and to offer practical "strategies" for navigating challenges is highly valuable. Such insights are crucial for fostering more sustainable research practices and supporting the mental and emotional health of those who dedicate themselves to understanding and documenting difficult pasts. The paper's intention to synthesize insights from scholars and researchers working directly in the field suggests a grounded and experiential approach, which is vital for illuminating the nuanced tensions inherent in this type of work. To fully deliver on its ambitious goals, the full manuscript will need to meticulously detail the methodologies employed to gather these "insights" – whether through qualitative interviews, autoethnographic accounts, or a survey of experts. It will be particularly important for the paper to provide concrete examples and compelling narratives that powerfully illustrate the "scars" left by this research, thereby substantiating the lived experiences it aims to highlight. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the "suggestions for improving wellbeing" will depend on their practical applicability and whether they address individual resilience, institutional support, or broader systemic changes, making this a critical area for robust development in the concluding sections.

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