Navigating “responsibility” in gender-based violence research: a decolonial feminist reflection

In this paper, I reflect on the ethical and methodological complexities of gender-based violence (GBV) research in Bangladesh from a decolonial feminist lens. Drawing on my doctoral fieldwork experience, I discuss the challenges encountered and strategies for navigating researcher’s “responsibilities”. This reflection highlights the critical role of development researchers in addressing the power dynamics within the research process. In the context of GBV research, responsible practices emphasise the need to minimise power imbalances, uphold participants’ agency, and remain culturally sensitive to the diverse contexts in which participants are situated. Importantly, this paper underscores the value of knowledge that is produced and grounded in the Global South, challenging certain practices that often marginalise these perspectives. My fieldwork experience suggests that responsibility is an iterative and ongoing process of reflection and adaptation that requires researchers’ time, sensitivity, and conscious effort. These practices, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, aim to foster an accountable, equitable, and transformative research paradigm within the broader field of international development.