“Parasitic Swallows”: Experiences of doing research with vulnerable people in humanitarian settings

R4HC-MENA hosted a webinar ‘Parasitic Swallows’ Experiences of doing research with ‘vulnerable people’ in humanitarian settings (March 2021) with panellists Dr Iris Elliott FRSA, Visiting Scholar Department of Sociology, University of Cambridge; Dr Sharon Mallon, Open University; and Dr Randa Serhan, American University of Beirut; and with a personal contribution by Dr Ammar Azzouz whose tweet on this issue went viral with supportive engagement from African, South American, European and North American countries. https://twitter.com/Dr_Ammar_Azzouz/status/1372927683059986440 .‘Parasitic swallows’ is a term coined by Dr Elliott to describe the external researchers who seasonally migrate to her home, Northern Ireland, and undertake research without providing any benefit to research participants or their society; and perhaps doing harm, retraumatising, preventing people from evolving their identity beyond the conflict. This is discussed in her input to the webinar. 

You can read the research brief and watch the recording of the event here.