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Despite advances in theory, often driven by feminist ethicists, research ethics struggles in practice to adequately account for and respond to the agency and autonomy of people considered vulnerable in the research context. We argue that shifts within feminist research ethics scholarship to better characterise and respond to autonomy and agency can be bolstered by further grounding in discourses from the social sciences, in work that confirms the complex nature of human agency in contexts of structural and other sources of vulnerability. We discuss some of the core concepts and critiques emerging from the literature on women and children's agency in under‐resourced settings, highlighting calls to move from individualistic to relational models of agency, and to recognise the ambiguous, value‐laden, and heterogeneous nature of the concept. We then draw out what these conceptual shifts might mean for research ethics obligations and guidance, illustrating our analysis using a case vignette based on research ethics work conducted in South Africa. We conclude that if research practices are to be supportive of agency, it will be crucial to scrutinise the moral judgements which underpin accounts of agency, derive more situated definitions of and responses to agency, and enable people and participants to influence these based on their own experiences and self‐perceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to examine the experiences of young migrants and the role of uncertainty in their precarious lives. Drawing on data from individual interviews and a workshop with young migrants aged 16–24 years old in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, we use uncertainty as a theoretical lens, to illustrate the ways in which young migrants' experiences provide meaning for them and give them an opportunity to assess, and plan for better opportunities despite the stark outlook. Thematic analysis was used to examine the multidimensionality of socio-spatial identities in young migrants. The findings illustrate how young migrants hustle for opportunities to lead valuable lives in the face of uncertainty. The implications highlight how attending to the complex intersectional nuances of uncertainty can serve as an enabler of aspirations, alongside essential structural factors influencing migration among young people brought up in rural communities. However, in proposing this alternative view of positive uncertainty, the structural violence experienced by these young people should not be overlooked and should be addressed as per their context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on the reflections and discussions from a special session at the 2021 Global Health Bioethics Network summer school, this paper has summarised the key challenges faced by Frontline Workers (FWs) across research sites in Africa and Asia in performing the everyday 'body work' entailed in operationalising global health research. Using a 'body work' lens, we specifically explore and map key challenges that FWs face in Africa and Asia and the physical, social, ethical, emotional, and political labour involved in operationalising global health in these settings. The research encounter links with wider social and economic structures, and spatial dimensions and impacts on the FWs' performance and well-being. Yet, FWs' 'body-work' and the embedded emotions during the research encounter remain hidden and undervalued. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]