Abstract
AbstractSocial researchers often walk a tightrope. On the one hand, they try to adhere to ethical principles when working with vulnerable groups. On the other, they aim to not cast these groups as inherently lacking agency. Digital practices have only made this dilemma more acute by strengthening the agency of vulnerable groups—in this case, those within the European border regime threatened by deportation—while also putting migrants at increased danger from bordering and surveillance practices. Drawing from a militant research approach, as well as from the Autonomy of Migration (AoM) perspective, this contribution illuminates this dilemma, while also arguing for reflexive and contextualised ethics aimed towards solidarity and social change.
Highlights
Some time ago, during our DIGINAUTS project, one of the authors of this contribution attended an important migration conference on the digitalisation of bordering practices
In the migration research literature, ethical issues are very often brought to the forefront
Picking up on the claim made by Düvell et al, Zapata-Barrero and Yalaz (2020, 2) formulate the basic questions we need to ask: These questions need to be considered as key-issues belonging to the same research design process: How do we ethically carry QR [qualitative research] with migrants? How do we solve particular ethical situations and dilemmas? How do we identify and manage ethical risks in conducting QMR [qualitative migration research]? What has to be the reference framework for assessing ethical risks? Do these ethical considerations affect the quality and objectivity of the research? Are universal ethical codes of conduct applied to QMR enough for dealing with particular situations?
Summary
Some time ago, during our DIGINAUTS project, one of the authors of this contribution attended an important migration conference on the digitalisation of bordering practices His presentation dealt with the digital strategies of those potentially facing deportation. In the case of Denmark, we are seeing a still increasing number of people disappearing from the authorities’ radar, going to other European countries and living as irregular migrants or attempting to apply for asylum through loopholes in the Dublin agreement. This development led us analytically towards a focus on anti-deportation. In the final part of the chapter, we combine these perspectives and situate our own research studies in a final discussion
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