Universities must protect PhDs doing risky fieldwork. Here’s how

Lots of PhD students find themselves doing long-term fieldwork in unfamiliar environments. This is a rewarding experience, but it also involves risk.

There are all sorts of problems students can encounter: they might have difficulty dealing with local authorities, witness violence or criminal activity, they could even experience physical and mental illness, sexual harassment or assault (pdf). The potentially dire implications of such scenarios have gained increased media attention and there have been calls for universities to do more to protect their students.

Emma Mawdsley, geography lecturer at the University of Cambridge, says: “Bad things will happen, small and large, but there are ways these can be avoided and reduced. The university, departments and supervisors have a moral and professional duty of care to do everything possible to promote safe, ethical research.”

So what would constructive fieldwork preparation and support – beyond the standard risk assessment form – actually look like? Here are a few ideas.

Talk openly about difficulties

Students are rarely told to spend time discussing openly what might go wrong. This needs to change. Seasoned researchers should share their experiences of handling difficult situations – whether it be contracting dengue fever or dealing with state surveillance. Frank conversations – in pre-field training seminars, between supervisors and students – could go a long way to preparing students to manage their own challenges. As one colleague who recently completed his PhD explained: “I needed someone to tell me that things go wrong, that you won’t know what you’re doing all the time, and that you’ll get into tricky encounters. We should be honest with each other about the challenges and tribulations of the process.”

Encourage early visits

Many students only encounter the area they’ll be working in when they arrive to begin fieldwork. Ideally, departments should support students to conduct short visits in advance (we were both encouraged to do this). This helps new researchers build support networks, anticipate potential problems, and as one of our supervisors said, “decide whether you’ll actually be able to live there for a year”. If time or funding constraints prevent this, supervisors and students should make a combined effort to garner as much information as possible, including contacting other experienced fieldworkers for advice prior to departure. Olivia Barnett-Naghshineh, who did fieldwork in Papua New Guinea, adds: “The behaviour of other non-locals before you may well affect how you are received – try to learn from other’s mistakes or successes.”

Provide alternative support

A good working relationship between PhD fieldworkers and supervisors is essential – but this shouldn’t be the only source of support for students. Amy Pollard suggests a mentoring programme in which novice fieldworkers are matched with a faculty member other than their supervisor, or a returned student. That provides someone else to talk to, particularly about issues students may be reluctant to discuss with supervisors, such as sexual harassment. Students should also be told about all of the university resources that are available before they set off – including emergency travel and medical insurance, encryption services, and counselling support.

Make contingency plans

Although it’s impossible to predict all of the possible problems that could crop up while completing fieldwork, it can help to think about, and plan for, worst-case scenarios. This could include creating communication plans (like telephone trees or text messaging alerts), and action plans – for example, how to leave the country in the event of a political coup. Before conducting fieldwork in Somaliland, PhD student Caroline Ackley developed a communication plan with her supervisor, and a back-up field site (Djibouti), should the situation become unstable. During fieldwork, regular, scheduled check-ins with her supervisor helped build a relationship of trust, and provided peace of mind to family and friends.

Cultivate local networks

Providing guidance on how students can develop local support networks when in the field is crucial. From locals, to fellow fieldworkers, to formal supports such as lawyers and embassies – these will be the first point of call if anything does go wrong. Reminding students to “listen to the recommendations of local people and do what they do” is another obvious but important point, says Barnett-Naghshineh. But knowing when – and how – to end potentially problematic relationships can be equally important. As a colleague suggests, students should be supported to withdraw from toxic relationships, even if it limits their research.

No risk assessment or training course can ever address all fieldwork complications. But increased attention to student preparedness and support, and a willingness to engage in difficult conversations, will promote safer, and ultimately better, research.

Corinna Howland and Christina Woolner are PhD candidates in social anthropology at the University of Cambridge, currently on long-term fieldwork in Peru and Somaliland.

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