Experts,not vulnerable: Centring dignity in research with irregularised migrants

Abstract

Discussions on the conduct of research among individuals who reside in a place without legal status – widely referred to as irregular migrants – have long engaged with the ethical dilemmas that this work entails. Typically, this is done in relation to the perceived vulnerability of research participants. This article is the product of a collaborative reflection on methodological aspects of qualitative research with a population widely perceived and described as ‘vulnerable’. We aim to foreground dignity methodologically to better understand how irregularised migrants both encounter and struggle against the label of vulnerability; how, perhaps, research can play a role in acknowledging the dignity of individuals who have repeatedly experienced ‘vulnerabilisation’ in their migration journeys. Re-positioning individuals often framed as ‘vulnerable’ instead as ‘experts’, we put forward a methodological roadmap to critically engage with the concept of vulnerability in migration research.