From snapshots to panoramas: navigating power, space, and time in the study of armed groups

Abstract

ABSTRACT The complex nature of civil conflict makes it inherently difficult to study, which is exacerbated by the challenges of conducting field research in volatile conflict zones. How do these challenges affect the data gathered and inferences drawn about armed groups? This article examines the epistemological, practical, and ethical issues of researching armed organisations across varying power relations, space, and time. We highlight the divergent perspectives that emerge within armed group hierarchies, the varying realities across conflict geographies, and shifts in armed group trajectories and narratives that arise over time. Based on research in Africa and Latin America, we identify the pitfalls of capturing isolated ‘snapshots’ related to with whom, where, and when research was conducted, and we advocate for a ‘panoramic’ approach to the study of armed groups, recognising both limits to available data and the evolving nature of armed groups and their behaviour. Ultimately, we offer a conceptual roadmap for understanding the main axes along which variation in armed group organisation and behaviour unfolds, provide recommendations on how to navigate them, and call for caution in the generalisation of research findings and policy prescriptions, given the limitations and liminal nature of knowledge about armed groups.