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This presentation discusses the challenges of using an empathetic methodology to interview far right extremists during a semi-ethnographic research project in the UK. It is about the difficulties - ethical, moral, emotional and practical - of doing ‘close-up’ research with extremists, especially as a woman academic. The first challenge is the current political climate. Authors including Winter and Mondon have emphasised the importance of an anti-racist approach and contested the legitimacy of representing far right voices through terrorist research. Research relationships with the far right are therefore particularly problematic at this point in time, when far right views are being both mainstreamed and as Miller Idriss has maintained, normalised; especially if the researcher is white.
The second challenge relates to gender in the researcher-participant relationships. Ethnography means engaging with the racism and misogyny of participants, a masculinist field as a woman researcher, and being a woman impacts who you can talk to and what you will find. Despite the challenges, the talk outlines the possibilities for doing ethical research, through interviews with far-right extremists, using an empathetic approach within a feminist framework of care. This presentation does not condone the views or actions of any of the interviewees discussed, who have all caused harm to others. However, it is about how discussion of race, power and positionality, as well as an empathetic lens, can enable ethical research and the possibility of social change.
Dr Elizabeth Pearson is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Programme Lead for the MSc Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Studies course at University of London. Her research interests are in gender, extremism and counter-extremism. Elizabeth's most recent book, Extreme Britain: Gender, Masculinity and Radicalisation was published with Hurst and Oxford University Press (US) in December 2023.
The webinar series on Researching the Far Right: Methods and Ethics is co-organized by C-REX and the Canadian Network for Research on Security, Extremism and Society (CANSES). The series aims to facilitate a much needed discussion about the methodological, ethical, political, practical and professional challenges that arise when researching the far right.
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