Disaster Research “Methics”: Ethical and Methodological Considerations of Researching Disaster-Affected Populations

Abstract

<jats:p> How we do research directly affects what we know about the subject matter under study. While the study of disaster events continues to grow, rigorous inquiry on disaster research methodology is limited because it is confounded by the disruption a disaster presents. Yet it is precisely at that point that special methodological problems emerge. The methodological—and inherently ethical—challenges disaster researchers face became apparent to me during my own fieldwork on domestic violence organizations and their recovery trajectory following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. In this article, I explore methodological and ethical issues that lay beneath “studying” people in the wake of disaster events and argue that ethical concerns should have the same, if not greater, primacy as methods; a dual consideration I refer to as “methics.” My findings support this argument and add to the growing chorus advocating for a paradigm shift in disaster research methods. </jats:p>

What Methods Do Social Scientists Use to Study Disasters? An Analysis of the Social Science Extreme Events Research Network

“…There should be more funding available for methodological training for social scientists, as well as continued and enhanced support for the research that follows. Any such training should, of course, be coupled with an equally in-depth focus on the ethical conduct of hazards and disaster research (Browne & Peek, 2014; Gaillard & Peek, 2019; Henderson & Liboiron, 2019; Kelman, 2005; Packenham et al, 2017; Van Brown, 2020). These types of workforce investments will pay substantial dividends through further broadening the horizons of scientific inquiry and discovery; more social science leadership could also help mitigate the unintended consequences of issuing technical fixes for what are fundamentally human problems.…”

Do you see what I see? Enhancement of rigour in qualitative approaches to inquiry: a systematic review of evidence

“…Terms commonly associated with the conceptualisation of research quality are presented in Table 3. Tobin and Begley (2004) listed a range of researchers such as: Van Manen (2020), Denzin and Lincoln (2000) and Arminio and Hultgren (2002) who have challenged the use of the term “rigour” within an interpretivist paradigm, advocating the incompatibility due to its origin within a positivist paradigm.…”

“…This paragraph explores themes beyond the scope of the articles identified in the original search in order to situate the analytical theme of ethical co-construction within the wider research context. Ethical considerations in relation to rigour go beyond power relationships, encompassing themes such as safeguarding and risk to participants, reciprocity (giving back to participants) and the inter-related theme of justice (Van Brown, 2020; Louis-Charles et al. , 2020).…”

Recognition and ethical research practices: The role of community specialists

“…Hurricane Matthew struck the coast on October 8 as a category 1 storm and produced 12 to 18 inches of rainfall in the county and several days of riverine flooding. The Lumbee (Lumber) River crested at 22 feet on October 11, breaking the previous record by four feet (van de Lindt et al 2020). Less than two years later, the community was still recovering when Hurricane Florence hit on September 14, 2018, and once again resulted in widespread flooding.…”

“…directions for ethical shifts in disaster research are contested (Kendra and Gregory 2019;Van Brown 2020). In the following section, we explore how current gaps in institutional requirements and structures, ethical toolkits and frameworks, and long-term disaster research design guidance limit the capacity for recognition.…”