Current Issue

The Ethics of Social Research: Perspectives from the Study of the Middle East & North Africa

EDITORS: Lisa Anderson, Rabab El-Mahdi & Seteney Shami

For decades, social scientists who work in and on the Middle East have confronted the ethical complexities of working with research participants, partners, and colleagues who are at risk. Conflict, autocracy, censorship, poverty, inequality, disciplinary imperatives, and institutional interests all shape research opportunities and agendas in ways that may imperil careers, livelihoods, and even lives.

The Spring 2025 issue of Dædalus explores how ethical standards can be developed and applied to improve the quality of social science research, particularly in contexts of contention and duress. Drawing on the experiences of an international group of scholars working in and on the Middle East and North Africa, the essays reveal both the ethical challenges and the transformative possibilities of social research.

“The Ethics of Social Research” offers critical insight and practical guidance for anyone invested in making social inquiry more ethical, inclusive, effective, and constructive—within the Middle East and North Africa and around the world.