Researching in Authoritarian and High-Risk Contexts: Ethics, Safety and Responsibility

Presented by Kylie Moore-Gilbert

Conducting research in politically sensitive and high-risk environments raises complex ethical, practical, and institutional challenges. This interactive workshop brings together researchers with experience working on authoritarian states and politically contested settings to explore questions of researcher safety, risk assessment, ethics, fieldwork design, institutional responsibility, and participant protection. Drawing on experiences from diverse contexts, including Iran and China, participants will discuss how researchers can navigate uncertainty, manage risk, and uphold ethical commitments while conducting meaningful scholarship in challenging environments. The workshop will be of particular interest to HDR students, early-career researchers, supervisors, and research leaders engaged in international or politically sensitive research.

Register to attend: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/researching-in-authoritarian-and-high-risk-contexts-workshop-tickets-1990850017996

About the presenter:

Kylie Moore-Gilbert is an Australian political scientist specialising in the Middle East. In 2018 she was wrongfully detained during a visit to Iran, where she had been invited to attend an academic conference. Kylie ultimately served more than two years of a ten-year prison sentence, before being freed in a prisoner swap deal negotiated by the Australian government.

Kylie is the author of the 2022 memoir The Uncaged Sky: My 804 Days in an Iranian Prison and in 2023 founded the Australian Arbitrary and Wrongful Detention Alliance. She is currently based in Macquarie University's Department of Security Studies and Criminology, where she is researching hostage diplomacy and wrongful detention policy.