Experts, not vulnerable : centring dignity in research with irregularised migrants
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1468-7941; 1741-3109
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Qualitative research, 2025, OnlineFirst
[Migration Policy Centre]
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GIANNETTO, Leila, KHAN, Abubaker, KIBEIDA, Yagoub, KING-SAVIC, Sandra, MAHAR, Usman, PROCTER, Caitlin, Experts, not vulnerable : centring dignity in research with irregularised migrants, Qualitative research, 2025, OnlineFirst, [Migration Policy Centre] - https://hdl.handle.net/1814/93921
Abstract
Discussions on the conduct of research among individuals who reside in a place without legal status – widely referred to as irregular migrants – have long engaged with the ethical dilemmas that this work entails. Typically, this is done in relation to the perceived vulnerability of research participants. This article is the product of a collaborative reflection on methodological aspects of qualitative research with a population widely perceived and described as ‘vulnerable’. We aim to foreground dignity methodologically to better understand how irregularised migrants both encounter and struggle against the label of vulnerability; how, perhaps, research can play a role in acknowledging the dignity of individuals who have repeatedly experienced ‘vulnerabilisation’ in their migration journeys. Re-positioning individuals often framed as ‘vulnerable’ instead as ‘experts’, we put forward a methodological roadmap to critically engage with the concept of vulnerability in migration research.
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Published online: 07 October 2025
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136bea02-25a9-4562-8fd5-26dfc464307d
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This research has been funded by HORIZON-RIA, grant number 101095113 (PRIME project).