Researching ‘terrorism’ and ‘counter-terrorism’ is a daunting task: entering into such a sensitive and securitised arena means encountering various challenges, among which is the highly secretised nature of the field. Researchers conducting fieldwork into national security face the problem of restricted access: a lack of available information characterises the field, and human sources are very difficult to access.
In this discussion café, we will have an informal conversation about strategies CTS scholars have used to access difficult fields. We will share our respective successes and failures in order to find effective ways of recruiting security practitioners for our research, accessing concealed national security information, and navigating the boundaries of effective approaches!