Researching from the Border: Methodological Decisions, Positioning and Challenges in the Study of Border Impact

Abstract

Defining border as a phenomenon that articulates social dynamics brings certain challenges in terms of application to the development of research in border studies. In this paper, we review the theoretical and methodological decisions that sought to put this conception of border into practice in a study on identity building on the Spanish-Moroccan border. During the investigation, we encountered three main challenges related to participant selection, data production, and the researcher's positioning. For each of them, we explored the difficulties encountered and the strategies developed to overcome them. The instruments presented, the description of the process and decisions made, as well as the exercise of reflecting on and making our own positions visible, all aim to highlight the epistemological and methodological articulations that have constituted our research work on identity building on the Spanish-Moroccan border.