Protecting Academia at Risk: Reflexions, Qualitative Fieldwork and Podcast

Round table at the ceecon 26, the DGO-Congress of Central and East European Studies, at Freie Universität Berlin, 8–9 Oct 2026

In this presentation, which will feature elements from our podcast and fieldwork, we will highlight the main findings of our research project, “Protecting Academia at Risk: Towards a New Policy Agenda for a Thriving Culture of Higher Education in Europe” (funded by the Gerda Henkel Foundation, 2024–2026). One of our key deliverables is a podcast, available here. Our research is grounded in qualitative, multi-sited, and interdisciplinary methodologies, drawing from cultural and reflexive thematic analysis, sociolinguistics, object-based narratives, gender studies, and feminist theory. The empirical corpus is based on ninety-six semi-structured interviews conducted with displaced academics, hosts, and representatives of Scholars at Risk (SAR) programmes, as well as university international offices. Furthermore, techniques such as visual storytelling and participatory observation during academic events have enhanced the research. Through a dialogic approach, we will reflect on the methods, themes, and research instruments employed in the field of academic displacement. We will also discuss our positionality and its impact on our academic work, as well as the challenges we faced when interviewing displaced academics. We will highlight the importance of continuous self-reflection in migration research and demonstrate how applying diverse methods aids in understanding that social scientists recognise knowledge is not neutral or detached from emotions, politics, and the challenging realities of fieldwork. The concept of dialogue became notable for our research project at different stages: dialogue between interviewer and interviewee in research settings, dialogue among different participants of the research team, dialogues during podcasts about academic freedom, risk, and resilience, and, as a result, an openness to engage with a broader audience. We aim to create a safe space for discussion where researchers can share their hesitations, ideologies, beliefs, tips, and suggestions for improving research.

With: Elena Triffan, Tania Arcimovich, and Nadiya Kiss

Chair: Andrea Pető

Cultural and theater scholar Tania Arcimovich is part of the project Narratives of Diasporic Identities in Popular Culture: Belarus after 2020 at the ZfL.