Between the field and home: fieldwork, science fiction and encounters with alterity in international relations

This article furthers discussions on the use of fieldwork in International Relations (IR) by juxtaposing this research practice with the politics of science fiction devices. I argue that this confrontation facilitates questioning of the foundational distinction between home and the field and interrogating the problem of alterity encountered during research. I first trace the common genealogies of science fiction and fieldwork as projects rooted in the colonial encounter with the Other. Drawing on my experiences with fieldwork in the Israeli settlements in the Palestinian West Bank and Mary Doria Russell's science fiction novels, I then make two arguments regarding the dynamics of fieldwork in IR. First, I propose that our comprehension of the studied setting is always dependent on preexisting conceptions and our position within the global order, and the field and its alterity are thus epistemologically and politically linked to home. Second, I argue that deliberating on the science fiction genre highlights how fieldwork encounters impact our understanding of home, question distinctions between the researcher and the (politically alienating) researched, and lay bare our implication in violent international hierarchies. The article thus works towards more careful reflections on the ethical, political and personal stakes of fieldwork-based research in IR.