Thoughts on the Ethics of Interventions When Studying Religion and Politics in the Middle East | 2014 | Publications

Thoughts on the Ethics of Interventions When Studying Religion and Politics in the Middle East

Richard Nielsen

In The Ethics of Research in the Middle East, POMEPS Studies 8, July 2, 2014

Here, I offer some thoughts on the ethics of research intervention in religious settings, based partly on a paper I wrote for the “Ethics in Comparative Politics Experiments Conference” convened by Scott Desposato at the University of California, San Diego in May 2013. I argue that some types of interventions will be difficult or impossible to implement ethically when studying religion and politics in the Middle East. However, we as scholars should do the hard work of creatively identifying ways to carry out research on religion and politics rather than throwing up our hands.