Researching One's Own War: Ethics, Positionality, and the Methodology of Insider Scholarship in Conflict Zones

Researching One's Own War: Ethics, Positionality, and the Methodology of Insider Scholarship in Conflict Zones examines the ethical and methodological tensions that arise when shared identity becomes a source of access, obligation, vulnerability, and epistemic authority. Centering South Sudan without treating it as exceptional, the study situates the case within broader debates in research ethics, reflexive methodology, and insider–outsider research dynamics. It develops the concept of situated insider ethics to explain how formal norms, institutional expectations, and lived positionality interact in the production of knowledge in conflict settings. Drawing on a reflexive methodological memoir; systematic review of insider conflict research ethics literature; interviews with African scholars engaged in insider research; and the development and piloting of an ethics framework at the University of Juba Graduate College, the study advances three linked propositions. First, positionality should be understood as a methodological resource rather than a source of contamination. Second, shared identity generates distinct ethical obligations that extend beyond standard procedural norms. Third, insider research requires designs that prioritise safety, reciprocity, and accountability to researched communities. The analysis addresses the central question of how researcher positionality shapes data generation, analytical frameworks, and the political uses of knowledge in conflict contexts. It shows that research practices, narratives, and institutional frameworks operate as political instruments rather than neutral processes. The study concludes that ethical reform in conflict research must move beyond procedural compliance to engage the power relations embedded in knowledge product