Remote qualitative research after the COVID-19 pandemic: Ethical reflections from a prepandemic study with families of the enforced disappeared in Perú

Abstract

This article considers the ethical complexities of remote research practices in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. It draws on an analysis of prepandemic in-person fieldwork with survivors of collective violence and families of the enforced disappeared in Perú. We shed light on the specific challenges of using remote research processes with victims of human rights abuses. We propose a reflective research practice that is oriented on closely aligning the remote research process to the relational and social context of the research participants. Our main contribution is to reflect on the potential implications and challenges of conducting remote qualitative research with survivors of political violence, and on remote qualitative research more broadly. We outline three challenges and propose key recommendations.