Work

Refugee-Inspired Ethical Guidelines from Kakuma: Moving Toward Decolonising Research Practice

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Scholarship addressing research ethics with forcibly displaced communities has gained heightened attention in the recent past. While critical, this scholarship has remained largely theoretical and has not included the voices of those who face forced displacement. This manuscript contributes to a more comprehensive discussion on ethical research with refugees and forcibly displaced populations by providing recommendations from refugees in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. Based on focus group discussions in the Kakuma Refugee Camp, this article offers practical refugee-inspired research recommendations when working in the contexts of forced displacement. The paper categorizes these recommendations into three categories: (a) pre-research, (b) data-collection, and (c) post-research. By framing the analysis in and advocating for a decolonising research ethics prism, we illustrate the broad implications for maintaining the holistic well-being of research participants in forcibly displaced contexts.

Source: Social Sciences

DOI: 10.3390/socsci14060342

Authors: Neil Bilotta, Hadijah Mwenyango

Institutions: Skidmore College, University of Edinburgh

Language: English

Topic: Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Peace, justice, and strong institutions, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,172