A new article by Jakub Záhora in the Cambridge Review of International Affairs connects two seemingly distant concepts: fieldwork studies in international relations and science fiction stories.
According to Jakub Záhora, both fieldwork research and science fiction constitute an interaction with “the Other” in terms of people, culture or beings distant from oneself.
Using his research in Israeli settlements in the Palestinian West Bank and Mary Doria Russell’s science fiction novels about the human missions to a different planet inhabited by sentient beings, he argues that what researchers experience during fieldwork is shaped by their preexisting conceptions and position within the global order. Additionally, he claims that fieldwork impacts our understanding of home and makes researchers question the distinction between them and the researched.
Using analogies with science fiction, the article therefore works towards more careful reflections on the ethical, political and personal stakes of fieldwork-based research in international relations.