Reflexive Positioning in a Politically Sensitive Situation: Dealing with the Threats of Researching the West Bank Settler Experience

For the past 7 years, the author has conducted qualitative research projects revolving around the experiences of West Bank settlers. The political situation in Israel in general, and the West Bank in particular, has undergone rapid and dramatic political, military, and social changes during this period. In highly politically sensitive situations such as this, the researcher is faced with physical, professional, emotional, and ethical threats. This article presents a conceptual discussion and case illustration of the use of four types of reflexive positioning: (a) identification with respondents, (b) emotional enmeshment, (c) personal associations, and (d) auto-ethnography. These reflexive positions reduce risks to the trustworthiness of the research and transform threats into opportunities to enrich qualitative data analysis.