On the Problem of Over-researched Communities: The Case of the Shatila Palestinian Refugee Camp in Lebanon

Abstract

Concerns about the problem of over-research have been reported in communities around the world, and across a wide range of fields of social science research practice for decades. Yet, despite this, over-research remains under-addressed by social scientists as a significant research concern. In this article, we discuss the problem of over-research as articulated by the residents of the Shatila Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut, Lebanon – a camp which is probably one of the most heavily researched neighbourhoods anywhere, and certainly within the Palestinian diaspora. Concerns voiced by Shatila residents focus on three issues, in particular: the relationship of research to expectations and promises of social change; alienation from researcher practices and questions and misgivings about researcher identities and agendas; and the impact of research on social relationships and identities within the Shatila camp itself.