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Journal of Refugee Studies Advance Access originally published online on May 3, 2007
Journal of Refugee Studies 2007 20(2):299-319; doi:10.1093/jrs/fem008
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© The Author [2007]. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Beyond ‘Do No Harm’: The Challenge of Constructing Ethical Relationships in Refugee Research

Catriona Mackenzie

Department of Philosophy, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109

Christopher McDowell

Information Centre about Asylum and Refugees (ICAR), School of Social Science, City University, Northampton Square, London EC1V 0HB christopher.mcdowell.1{at}city.ac.uk

Eileen Pittaway

Centre for Refugee Research, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052

This paper highlights some of the central ethical challenges involved in undertaking social science research with refugees in conflict and crisis situations. It focuses on two main sets of challenges: first, the difficulties of constructing an ethical consent process and obtaining genuinely informed consent; and second, taking fully into account and responding to refugee participants' capacities for autonomy. The authors also discuss the challenges involved in applying the central normative principles governing ethics review processes—the principles of beneficence, integrity, respect for persons, autonomy and justice—to the context of refugee research. It is argued that researchers should seek ways to move beyond harm minimization as a standard for ethical research and recognize an obligation to design and conduct research projects that aim to bring about reciprocal benefits for refugee participants and/or communities. Some of the methodological issues raised by this analysis are discussed in the conclusion.

Key Words: ethics • consent • autonomy • relational autonomy • power • confidentiality

MS received June 1, 2006 ; revised MS received January 1, 2007
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