Axiological neutrality, objectivity and commitment in field research with migrants: critical notes for a discussion

Abstract

This paper analyzes some fundamental epistemological challenges that field research with migrants must face nowadays, especially that which is developed considering the multiple forms of violence that are present. To achieve this, I use information from my research in the northern border of Mexico and in particular in the city of Tijuana.  The article first reviews three key aspects of the violent context that defines migration: the militarization of migration control, racial issues and legal violence. The article then analyzes the demand for objectivity and axiological neutrality imposed by dominant currents in the social sciences, which is confronted with feminist and decolonial perspectives that have traced a productive discussion on these methodological principles. Finally, the paper recognizes that seeking neutrality under these conditions is very difficult, but this does not limit the aspiration for serious, objective and committed research.