International survey for areal researchers - second phase

In many parts of the world, research in the humanities and social sciences is constrained or even prevented, and the people with whom researchers come into contact for their work are sometimes threatened or endangered. In addition to endogenous constraints, there are a growing number of exogenous constraints (security, legal, administrative, regulatory, political and economic) which place both the right to investigate and the rights of those being investigated in tension: by preventing or restricting access to the research field upstream, by putting researchers and their respondents in difficulty, or even in danger, in the field, and by also exposing them to risks on their return, particularly in the restitution and valorization of their work.

In this context, an initial Inalco survey entitled "Research, training and expertise in "prevented" or "hindered" fields: practices, methods and new resources" was launched in February 2024. Its results are based on the responses of over 400 researchers and young researchers in areal studies. They made it possible to objectify knowledge of their research and data collection practices in "impeded", "hindered" or more broadly "constrained" terrains, the evolution of their practices, and their expectations in terms of training, institutional support and knowledge sharing.

The first results, published in December 2024, highlight the entrenchment of constraints (political-administrative, security, diplomatic, situational) and their impact on research practices: whether in terms of the conditions (notably financial and institutional) in which it is carried out, the environment in which it is embedded (creating, for example, new forms of interaction with local partners), or the cross-fertilized methodologies it presupposes.

The second part of this investigation is now underway, in the form of workshops conducted with the Études aréales unit (UAR 2999) as part of the "Terrains contraints" mission, entrusted on November 4, 2024 by CNRS SHS to its aréaux networks in collaboration with Inalco. This mission intends to reflect on the best ways to support researchers in their practices, methods and training, and propose concrete recommendations in this area to the entire scientific community.

A second questionnaire, aimed at clarifying and completing the results of the survey, is open until May 30, 2025 (in French or English):