Researching crisis—Recognizing the unsettling experience of emotions

Based on ethnographic research from Sri Lanka on post-tsunami recovery and displacement due to war, this article examines how emotions may have impacted on the research process and how the research participants (researcher, affected people, and partners) construct knowledge in crisis situations. The author discloses her own emotions while researching crisis and also explores the emotions that prevail among research participants in collaborations. Emotions are understood as mental and cultural constructions which unfold in the interaction between individuals and the world. A key driver for the author has been her commitment to those who suffer, which explains her willingness to take risk. It is argued that researchers who make themselves vulnerable to emotions not only make research more engaging and intelligible, but also provoke reflections. In places of crisis, both fluidity and pervasiveness of disillusionment prevail. Building on emotionally sensed knowledge of the research participants in such places, additional insights may be gained and new methods of discovery may be developed. A prerequisite for such a research agenda is a high level of trust and honesty among participants during fieldwork and beyond.