Statements

Introduction

The Traces of Mobility research project aims to explore the experiences and perspectives of different actors involved in migration phenomena as part of their existential trajectories, social settings and historical conjunctures. The experience of migration in the Mediterranean space is marked by acts of solidarity, heritage production and the encounter between the migrants and coercive and repressive institutional or informal apparatuses managing mobility that cause psychological or physical violence, economic exploitation and radical forms of de-socialisation. The project sees these effects not only as individual experiences but also organic elements of racialised and/or marginalising social-political-legal structures which pose a vital threat to the future of justice within all the societies and communities affected by migration phenomena between Africa and Europe.

Against this threat, the project applies social sciences research methods and archive platforms as participative tools in the hands of researchers and participants to represent, in ethically and methodologically negotiated forms, the cultural and political value of migration experiences in relation to individual and collective emancipatory processes. This research project is committed to adhering to ethical guidelines from various sources, including the principles of ethical collaborative action research set out by The Centre for Social Justice and Community Action (UK), guidelines for ethics in community-based participatory research by the Refugee Study Centre (UK), the research guidelines by the American Anthropological Association (AAA), the Association of Social Anthropologists (ASA), the Società Italiana di Antropologia Culturale (SIAC), the researchers’ previous experiences in conducting similar research, and the participants’ moral repertoires and ethical evaluations about sharing, representing and disseminating personal experiences. The project also ensures full compliance with the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) policy and guidelines on governance of good research conduct.

Informed Consent

Respecting the dignity and autonomy of research participants is paramount in this project. All participants will be fully informed about the research, its purpose, and objectives, following the requirements and standards of informed consent procedures. The informed consent process will be an ongoing and re-evaluated process to ensure that participants are well-informed and comfortable throughout the research. Participants will be invited to participate based on their experiences or expertise, and they will have the freedom to halt the interview at any stage.

Anonymity and Confidentiality

To protect the privacy and confidentiality of research participants, all interview data will be rigorously anonymized. Participants will be offered the option of remaining anonymous, and individual agreements will be made with each participant to address their preferences and concerns regarding attribution and anonymity.

Vulnerable Participants

The research acknowledges the particular ethical challenges posed by working with vulnerable participants, such as irregular migrants. These participants may be subject to physical, situational, and emotional risks, including detention, deportation, violence, and exploitation. Non-vulnerable participants, such as NGOs, activists, and legal professionals, will also be involved in the research. To address these concerns and risks, the project will implement measures to ensure confidentiality, informed consent, data protection, consultation, and collaboration in line with UKRI guidelines.

Action Research

For action research workshops, participants will be provided with ethical guidelines and risk assessments to ensure that any materials generated during the workshops undergo relevant procedures. The workshops will be held in collaboration with registered civil society organizations, and participants will be encouraged to help shape the research agenda.

Covid-19 Measures

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the project will continuously evaluate the situation and be flexible with research arrangements, including potential changes to travel plans and the adoption of online interviews when necessary. Strict safety measures will be implemented for in-person interviews, including adherence to mask-wearing, social distancing, and maintaining well-ventilated spaces.

Data Management

Data security is of utmost importance due to the potential vulnerability of research participants. The project will adhere to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and will operate under the different universities’ research policies of Goldsmiths, University of Milan, The American University in Cairo’s Institutional Review Board Research Data Policy, and the University of Jendouba. It will also follow the principles and tools provided by the Leaders Activating Research Networks (LEARN) project that developed the inputs of the League of European Research Universities (LERU) Roadmap for Research Data. Anonymized research data will be treated with care and securely stored on password-protected computers or cloud storage. The project will develop a full Data Management Plan in line with GDPR requirements.

Research Data Sharing

The project values sharing research data to contribute to new knowledge. Anonymized research data will be made available as far as possible, subject to participants’ explicit permission. Recordings or images/videos will only be retained with the consent of the participant.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Traces of Mobility is fully aware that innovative ideas come from teams made up of people from various socio-economic backgrounds, cultural origins and orientations. For this reason, we are committed to and strive for equity, diversity and inclusion in our workplaces, research and archiving activities. We embrace them as instrumental to make Traces of Mobility a laboratory of knowledge and justice.

Conclusion

The Traces of Mobility research project is committed to upholding the highest ethical standards throughout the research process. Ensuring informed consent, confidentiality, and data security will be central to the research, protecting the well-being and autonomy of all participants involved. The project team will continuously monitor and evaluate the ethical aspects of the research to maintain integrity and accountability in the pursuit of knowledge.

If you know of or suspect a breach of this Statement, of other ethics or legal or regulatory requirements, please immediately report the foregoing to tracesmobility@gmail.com

Traces of Mobility assures you that your report will be treated with care and kept private and confidential to the extent that such is appropriate and/or permitted by law.