Impossible Research? Ethical Challenges in the (Digital) Study of Deportable Populations Within the European Border Regime

Social researchers often walk a tightrope. On the one hand, they try to adhere to ethical principles when working with vulnerable groups. On the other, they aim to not cast these groups as inherently lacking agency. Digital practices have only made this dilemma more acute by strengthening the agency of vulnerable groups—in this case, those within the European border regime threatened by deportation—while also putting migrants at increased danger from bordering and surveillance practices. Drawing from a militant research approach, as well as from the Autonomy of Migration (AoM) perspective, this contribution illuminates this dilemma, while also arguing for reflexive and contextualised ethics aimed towards solidarity and social change.