Archiving as embodied research and security practice

Chukwuma, Kodili Henry

Abstract

This article explores the importance of embodiment in (research on) archival practices on state counter-terrorism policy in Nigeria. In doing so, the article seeks to contribute to the ongoing discussion around methodology and methods in critical security studies and other related fields in international relations by focusing on (researchers’) bodies as sites of knowledge production and intervention. Building on three empirical themes of fragmentation, labelling and gatekeeping that emerged from fieldwork in Abuja, Nigeria, I demonstrate how embodiment operates in active research contexts in the production – and problematization – of in/security. To do this, I draw inspiration from ideas around state archival practice; embodiment in critical security studies, especially as discussed in feminist and postcolonial work; and in/security theory to scaffold my broader methodological approach. A focus on embodiment, the article argues, marks the researcher’s body – and research – as integral to the development of theories and findings about security. At the same time, exploring the ways in which the (researcher’s) body is (re)produced in relation to identity and subjectivity encourages greater reflexivity in our research practice and fieldwork, as we are continually reminded that our work and our words are grounded in the standpoints that we occupy. The article concludes by identifying some useful strategies from my fieldwork for grappling with the challenges and tensions that emerge from bodily encounters in (security) research process.

Citation

Chukwuma, K. H. (2022). Archiving as embodied research and security practice. Security Dialogue, 53(5), 438–455. https://doi.org/10.1177/09670106221075954

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 30, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Apr 23, 2022
• Publication Date: 2022-10
• Deposit Date: Aug 1, 2022
• Journal: Security Dialogue
• Print ISSN: 0967-0106
• Electronic ISSN: 1460-3640
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Volume: 53
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 438–455
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/09670106221075954
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1194644
• Additional Information: This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Access via https://doi.org/10.1177/09670106221075954