Excerpt from: Hedtke, Christoph / Beurskens, Kristine (2025): Forschung in einem herausfordernden Feld: Reflexionen und Hinweise. In: Autor*innenkollektiv Terra-R (Hg.), Das Ende rechter Räume. Zu Territorialisierungen der radikalen Rechten. Münster: Westfälisches Dampfboot.
Based on discussions and experiences from other sensitive working contexts, such as social work, victim counselling, or journalism, we have compiled potential strategies, measures, and reflection questions below. These are designed to help individuals, collectives, and institutions adopt a reflective and responsible approach to the challenges described earlier. It is important to recognise that research on and with the radical right inevitably involves engaging with attitudes and practices that are inherently violent. This violence can take many forms and may affect us as researchers, even if we are not direct targets. Its impact can vary from person to person and may remain unconscious for a long time, with the effects of accumulated experiences and injuries sometimes only becoming apparent much later.
We believe it is essential to acknowledge the unique methodological and emotional challenges of this field and the inherent violence of the ideology before beginning research. This understanding should inform the research design and its framework, which should be planned proactively, considering positionality, resources, and security needs. In addition to considering the delayed consequences of our research, it is important to recognise that political power dynamics are currently shifting significantly. As a result, vulnerabilities and risks may need to be assessed differently in the future, meaning that decisions should not be based solely on the current societal status quo.
With the following list in mind, we find ourselves navigating at least two areas of tension. On the one hand, we aim to raise awareness of the challenges, potential strains, and dangers in this field without being alarmist or inciting or amplifying concerns and fears. On the other hand, while we strive to provide a comprehensive overview, for security reasons, we cannot disclose all measures and strategies. Therefore, we encourage exchanges with other researchers and recommend that, depending on the sensitivity of one’s research, an appropriate institutional framework be sought. Furthermore, it is helpful to draw on the experiences and support of networks outside academia, some of which we list at the end of this chapter.
What can I do personally?
Research Design: Clarify the research question in advance, design the study accordingly, and maintain focus on the question throughout the process. – What exactly do I want to find out, or which aspect is truly relevant, and what data do I really need for that? What access is essential – are there other ways to obtain the data without direct contact? How much exposure to the material is necessary, and how much visibility through fieldwork is unavoidable? Is it possible to conduct the research outside my place of residence? How can I avoid a negative „pull effect“ in my research?
Institution: Early involvement of the research institution to clarify support and protection, and where necessary, raise awareness of specific needs. – What support do I need? What academic, technical-infrastructural, and psycho-emotional support structures are available? Does the institution have guidelines or crisis intervention plans? Am I legally protected through the institution?
Reflection: Create moments for reflection before, during, and after the research. – What motivates me to pursue this research? Do I currently have the physical and psychological capacity to engage with this topic and this research? Do I have the necessary infrastructure and resources? Do I have the methodological tools I need? How can I gain access without ingratiating myself or elevating right-wing actors and giving them a platform? How involved am I with the topic, and what dynamics are emerging in the research process? In what ways is this research challenging me, and what are the consequences for me? What do I need to conduct this research safely and with well-being? How do I understand my role?
Risk Assessment: Consider potential risks (digital, psycho-emotional, physical, legal) before starting the research, evaluate them, take preparatory measures, and adapt as circumstances change. – What are the possible risks for me, my environment, and the research participants? What risks are not yet foreseeable but could become relevant in a changed context? What are my boundaries and criteria for modifying or discontinuing the research? What do I know about local conditions, right-wing structures, and possible retreat options? Who can provide reliable assessments? How am I mobile on-site? What mental burdens are associated with the material I’m working with?
Risk Management: Take preventive measures to minimise risks. – What personal information about me and my private environment is accessible to others? How can I reduce this (e.g., registering for an information block in the residents‘ register, concealing home and work addresses, separating private and work phone numbers, email addresses, and social media accounts)? Do I have a plan for how to respond in the event of hostility or threatening situations? Who knows where I am, and what are my emergency contacts?
Self-care: Develop structures and routines to strengthen well-being, recognise one’s boundaries, and respect them. – When, in what form, and with what type of material or content can and do I want to engage (e.g., time limits, avoiding exposure before bedtime or on personal devices)? When do I need breaks, and do I take them? How can I integrate other topics and activities into my professional and personal life to create balance?
Security: The safety of all involved takes precedence, including the protection of research participants. – What information and measures must be communicated to research participants? What are the potential consequences of conducting research with non-right-wing individuals in a right-wing environment once we leave? How can I protect the collected data, including contact details obtained during the interview process, from being accessed? How can personal data storage devices be secured, even during fieldwork? What additional technical measures and infrastructure are needed? Where and when will interviews take place?
Support: Create a supportive environment. – Who can provide academic, infrastructural, and emotional support and assist in the reflection mentioned above? Who can offer immediate support in difficult situations in my professional and/or personal life? Do I need professional support or counselling? How much can my personal environment bear?
What can we do together?
Teamwork: Researching as a team offers protection and supports reflection, interpretation, and publication. – Who can I work with on this project? How should teams in this research field be composed considering different positionalities? What do we need in terms of pre- and post-discussions, especially concerning emotional experiences? How can we reflect on different positionalities and socialisations, consider them in the research design, and make them analytically fruitful? Who has what access? What are the differing safety needs? What are potentially challenging or even dangerous situations? What are our limits and exit strategies? How do we jointly manage the pressure to appear „strong“ and „tough“? What responsibility do we also have for student assistants?
Resources: Consider special needs in the funding application. – What additional expenses does the research project require (e.g., supervision and/or counselling, work phones, legal review of publications, or secure transport)?
Exchange: Maintain exchanges before, during, and after the research. – What are the experiences in this field? What methodological advice, approaches, and strategies have others developed, perhaps in other sensitive research contexts? How are others coping with this research? How can we establish ongoing exchanges and maintain support for early-career researchers?
Collaboration: Counteract individualisation through solidarity and collaboration. – How can we foster exchanges and networking to learn from each other? How can we share experiences and resources, especially considering that many researchers focus on the radical right without being affiliated with specialised research institutions? How can we care for one another? How do collective research and writing function? How can transdisciplinary and cross-institutional learning and development processes be promoted through research cooperation?
Awareness-raising: Public speaking and writing contribute to raising awareness and development. – What are shared experiences? What challenges are structurally embedded? What approaches and strategies are available? What research infrastructures are needed? How should methods be further developed? How can experiences be incorporated into publications?
Slow Science: Acknowledge, question, and counteract risk-promoting structural conditions collectively. – How do isolation, the blurring of work and leisure, and the merging of both in this highly politicised field affect us? What pressures do we experience (e.g., qualification requirements, time constraints, part-time temporary positions, political urgency)? How do hierarchies in supervisory and employment relationships play out? What responsibilities do we have towards ourselves and others?
What can institutions do?
Spaces for exchange: Enable regular and event-related exchanges during working hours. – How can such spaces for exchange be institutionalised and integrated into research practice? How should these be designed to allow challenges, discomfort, and feelings of failure to be discussed in a safe and supportive environment? What kinds of exchange spaces are needed for different status groups, beyond colloquia and conferences? What forms of support are necessary (e.g., research supervision, peer supervision, collegial consultation, coaching, shadowing, intervention)?
Research infrastructures: Create the social and material conditions for this work. – How should work contexts and research projects be structured and equipped? Are there internal or third-party funds for specific contextual needs? What additional measures are required for risk assessment and mitigation? What are the specific technical needs (e.g., work phones, encrypted data storage, VPN access)? Is the use of a company car possible? Are safety precautions needed in buildings?
Legal support: Legal protection for members of the institution. – How can the institutional framework protect researchers (e.g., allowing the university address to be used in legal disputes, supporting the application for address protection, legal review of publications)? How are researchers legally protected after completing their qualification work or their employment ends?
Crisis communication: Clarify questions and procedures before anything happens. – What happens in different cases (e.g., threats, hostility, negative media attention, political backlash, legal issues)? Who is responsible for what, who needs to be informed, and who are the internal and external contact persons? What are the needs of those affected?
Guidelines: Develop (protection) concepts and guidelines for the entire process, including the time before and after the research. – What should be considered in research on and with far-right movements? What should be noted in science communication (e.g., legal review, safeguarding the safety of researchers and the field, coordinating publication timing with other teams in the field, embargoed publications)? How should public relations work be managed (e.g., moderating social media channels, handling hostility and threats)? What should be considered for events (e.g., registration, exclusion clauses, funding, house rules, moderation, venue, security, handling disruptions)?
Support: Provide emotional, legal, and positional support. – How can supervisors and university leadership offer support to researchers? How should research infrastructures be adapted to the specific characteristics of the field and societal context to ensure researchers’ safety and protect academic freedom? Who are the specific contact persons, and what is their role (e.g., security contacts)? What responsibility can the institution take after employment or the completion of doctoral studies?
Awareness: Raise awareness of the specific challenges and requirements at all hierarchical levels. – How can awareness of the field’s specificities be created across all status groups (leadership, supervisors, advisors, researchers, assistants, administration)? How can it be communicated that emotional challenges can lead not only to mild discomfort or frustration but also to more significant consequences, including trauma, which may only become apparent much later? How can a culture be fostered where concerns can be voiced, where the issues and challenges of this research are recognised, and where it is acknowledged that different people have varying levels of vulnerability and need for protection? How can the unique situation of individuals in qualification phases be considered?
Security needs: Establish an institutional framework for individually varying security needs and risks. – How can researchers be given different levels of visibility (name with contact and photo on the homepage, pseudonymous authorship, functional email addresses)?
Safety training: Raise awareness and provide training for research. – What needs to be considered at the start of research (e.g., challenging interview situations, preventive handling of risks, data security)? How can stress be recognised (e.g., emotional stress or trauma symptoms such as insomnia, recurring images, dissociation), and what are possible coping strategies? What should be considered regarding science communication and events? What internal and external support structures are available?
Further development: Support institutional learning in methods and research structures. – What does it mean methodologically to research the far-right, what is different, and what are the specific needs? How can the exchange of experience and knowledge transfer be facilitated? What adjustments are required regarding data collection, analysis, and accompanying reflective methods (e.g., protocols, group interpretation, peer supervision groups, research supervision)? Are research ethics standards and requirements evaluated differently in this field (e.g., informed consent in sensitive contexts)? How political can, should or must research on the far-right be, and what does that entail?
What external support services are available?
Reporting and counselling: https://scicomm-support.de/ueber-scicomm-support
Toolkit for researchers and institutions: https://researchersupport.org
Counselling for victims of far-right violence: https://bundesverband-mobile-beratung.de
Legal support: https://fragdenstaat.de/aktionen/gegenrechtsschutz
Handbook on trauma and journalism: https://dartcenter.org/content/trauma-journalism-handbook
Toolkit on mental health: https://ijnet.org/en/toolkit/mental-health-and-journalism
Guide to online data security: https://www.chayn.co/safety
Tips, tools, and how-tos for secure online communication: https://ssd.eff.org
Digital first aid kit: https://digitalfirstaid.org
Funding and support for digital security: https://www.digitaldefenders.org
Advice and support for digital security: https://www.accessnow.org/help-de
Online learning platform for digital security and mental health: https://totem-project.org