Daniel Neep, who just published Syria: A Modern History, joins Ora, who published Syria Divided: Patterns of Violence in a Complex Civil War, for a conversation focusing on research on a specific conflict: the war in Syria. Reflecting on their own experiences, Daniel and Ora dig into the ethical and methodological challenges of researching civil war from afar, as well as some common myths and misunderstandings related to research on the Syrian civil war, their own reactions to the unexpected fall of the Assad regime, and their thoughts on the immense challenges of Syria’s postwar reconstruction. They conclude by offering some advice on research for emerging scholars in challenging environments.

2:47: What Drew Daniel and Ora to Syria?

5:21: How Has Time in Syria and with Syrians Influenced Your Research?

7:58: Inspiration for Research Questions

12:05: Discussing Dan and Ora's Books

21:11: Challenges of Writing a Comprehensive History

27:37: Unpacking Common Myths and Misunderstandings about Syria

35:30: The Challenges of Research from a Distance

45:10: What Was it Like to See the Civil War End?

52:00: Advice for Emerging Scholars

Publications Mentioned in This Episode

1. Daniel Neep. Syria: A Modern History. Basic Books, 2026, https://www.amazon.com/Syria-Modern-History-Daniel-Neep/dp/1541608127
2. Ora Szekely. Syria Divided: Patterns of Violence in a Complex Civil War (Columbia Studies in Middle East Politics). Columbia University Press, 2023, https://cup.columbia.edu/book/syria-divided/9780231555982/

Producers: Dominic Calareso, Jasmine Han, and Taylor Perkins

Find Stories from The Field at Columbia University Press or Amazon

After your field research is done, there is always that final, daunting step: publishing. We are joined by Caelyn Cobb, Senior Editor in global history and global politics for Columbia University Press, and Jacqueline Hazelton, Executive Editor of the journal International Security, to gain an editor’s perspective on what they look for in conflict research and how aspiring scholars can navigate the publishing process.

Cobb and Hazelton discuss how ethical considerations and methodological choices shape projects from the proposal stage all the way through peer review. They reflect on how editors assess whether author's claims align with their fieldwork, and how research methods are justified in a civil war subfield that often builds on qualitative evidence. Throughout their conversation, Cobb and Hazelton also examine how recent changes in the field have influenced what editors look for and the advice they offer to emerging scholars looking to publish.

4:21: Discussing Research Methods and Ethics with Authors

7:25: Talking About Your Fieldwork with Editors

15:22: Lessons Learned as Both an Editor and Researcher

18:24: Recent Changes in the Field of Civil War Studies

24:53: Book Press and Journal Policies on Fieldwork Ethics

28:28: Red Flags in Manuscripts and Proposals

32:06: How Editors View IRBs

37:37: How Editors Talk to Each Other about Methods and Ethics

41:03: Editors' Advice for Publishing Your Research

Publications Mentioned in this Episode

1. Hazelton, Jacqueline L. Bullets Not Ballots: Success in Counterinsurgency Warfare. Cornell University Press, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctv16zjztj
2. Rizkallah, Amanda. "Foreign Intervention and Internal Displacement: Urban Politics in Postwar Beirut." International Security 2024; 48 (3): 86–128. https://doi.org/10.1162/isec_a_00478
3. Krause, Peter, Szekely, Ora, et al. 2021. "COVID-19 and Fieldwork: Challenges and Solutions." PS - Political Science and Politics, 54 (2): 264-269. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049096520001754
4. Ide, Tobias. "Rise or Recede? How Climate Disasters Affect Armed Conflict Intensity." International Security 2023; 47 (4): 50–78. https://doi.org/10.1162/isec_a_00459
5. Daly, Sarah Z., & Krause, Peter. (2024). Whose side are you on? Balancing impartiality and proximity in the study of civil wars. Conflict, Security & Development, 24 (6): 621–644. https://doi.org/10.1080/14678802.2024.2435057

Producers: Dominic Calareso and Jasmine Han

Find Stories from The Field at Columbia University Press or Amazon

When conducting research and fieldwork on civil war, it is not only challenging to remain impartial or get physically and emotionally close to conflict participants, but it is especially difficult to do both, given that more of one often requires—or leads to—less of the other. How do researchers navigate the challenges of partiality and proximity in the field? How do they deal with their values and emotions in the context of their research? In this episode, Peter takes a break from his regularly scheduled hosting duties to join us as a guest alongside Sarah Zukerman Daly, Associate Professor of Political Science at Columbia University, as they discuss their coauthored article Whose Side Are You On?

Sarah and Peter discuss how their field research on conflict in Latin America, the Middle East, and North Africa motivated them to distill the complex balance of what they call "The Impartiality-Proximity Dilemma." The conversation also explores the various combinations of partiality, proximity, and neutrality that are adopted while on the ground, and what a proximate, impartial research process can look like from beginning to end. We also explore the biases that researchers may hold, consciously or not, and how they influence advocacy, scholarly integrity, and the research process.

2:17: Origins of the Article: Whose Side are you On?

6:15: Explaining the Impartiality-Proximity Dilemma

9:26: Navigating the Impartiality-Proximity Dilemma During Fieldwork

13:59: Why Civil War Research Presents Unique Challenges

25:49: How Researcher Background and Identity Shape the Impartiality-Proximity Dilemma

37:13: How the Impartiality-Proximity Dilemma Shapes Research Design and Methods

44:47: A Call for Methodological Pluralism

50:42: Advice for New Graduate Students

Publications Mentioned in This Episode

1. Daly, Sarah Z., & Krause, Peter. (2024). Whose side are you on? Balancing impartiality and proximity in the study of civil wars. Conflict, Security & Development, 24(6), 621–644. https://doi.org/10.1080/14678802.2024.2435057
2. Daly, Sarah Z., Paler, Laura, & Samii, Cyrus (2020). Wartime ties and the social logic of crime. Journal of Peace Research, 57(4), 536-550. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022343319897098

Producers: Hannah Bingham, Dominic Calareso, Jasmine Han, Anna O’Donnell

Find Stories from The Field at Columbia University Press or Amazon