Monthly Observation Research by Community Researchers: Coping with Dangerous Situations and Multiple Crises in Postcoup Myanmar

Abstract

Abstract: This paper contributes to the scholarship on research in difficult environments by shedding light on the methodological and ethical implications of working with community researchers (CRs) in Myanmar. We refer to this method as Monthly Observation Reports by Local Community Researchers (MOR), a hybrid research method incorporating features of community-based participatory research and observation by local researchers who collect data within an extremely repressive political environment generated by the 2021 military coup. We show that while the MOR has its own share of ethical and methodological challenges, it emphasizes protecting the safety of local CRs and enables researchers to acquire in-depth understandings of evolving situations in specific locations while drawing comparisons across places, as well as providing recommendations for policymakers. A case study on Myanmar also engages with ongoing debate on the role of CRs in academic research by reaffirming the many benefits as well as common challenges associated with the employment of local researchers and offering additional insights and lessons for an environment characterized by a high level of fear, distrust, and insecurity.