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University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA

June 18-21, 2026 

Activist Ethics: the Need for a Nuanced Approach to Resistance Studies Field Research

Joanna Allan
Year of publication: 2017
DOI: 10.63961/2025.073
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Abstract

This paper addresses a significant gap in the literature by exploring the ethical challenges faced by researchers working with resistance activists in conflict zones, using the case study of Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara. It argues that fieldwork in such environments presents unique ethical dilemmas that traditional academic frameworks may be ill-equipped to handle. The paper suggests that to ensure the continued growth of Resistance Studies, scholars and institutions must rethink these frameworks, sometimes necessitating the subversion of conventional ethical norms.

Two key arguments are presented: First, conducting research among resistance activists requires a nuanced, politically informed approach to ethics, acknowledging the complexities of authoritarian resistance. Second, the paper asserts that researchers must adopt an activist stance to ethically navigate these challenges, suggesting that passive observation is insufficient. Instead, active participation in the resistance is necessary, as it provides the only ethical response to the power dynamics at play. Ultimately, the paper calls for an activist-driven ethical framework in the study of resistance movements.

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