A Zone for Deliberation? Methodological Challenges in Fields of Political Unrest

This article outlines certain problems and challenges facing the qualitativeresearcher who enters fields that are either extremely difficult to access or potentially hostiletowards outsiders. Problems and dilemmas in such contexts are highlighted by reference tofieldwork research among PKK (Kurdistan Worker’s Party) guerrillas in North Kurdistan,Turkey. The article is part of a larger study on knowledge production and identitydevelopment in the PKK. The theoretical foundation draws on the Freirian tradition that isalso labelled emancipatory or liberating research. The article discusses challenges within thisparticular line of research and presents the idea of a ‘zone for deliberation’ as a potentialarena for developing intersubjective understanding in cases when the experiences ofinformants and interviewer are culturally and politically diverse