Refl ecting on Crisis

Th is article off ers a collective "gaze from within” the process of migration research, on the eff ects the pandemic has had on our interlocutors, our research fi elds, and our positionalities as researchers. Drawing from our experiences of researching a fi eld in increasing crisis, and following the methodological refl ections of the article written by our colleagues in this issue, we discuss a number of dilemmas and repositionings stemming from—and extending beyond—the eff ects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Focusing on issues of positionality, ethics of (dis)engaging from the research fi eld, and the underlying extractivist nature of Global North academia, we propose our own vision of more egalitarian and engaged research ethics and qualitative methodologies in the post-pandemic world © 2022,Migration and Society. All Rights Reserved.

Caring through a screen: caring for kin under lockdown

COVID-19 and UK-wide lockdown measures in spring 2020 confined people to their homes, with implications for exchanging care. In a small-scale qualitative study, I examined the impact on individuals’ everyday caring practices with adult kin beyond the home. In this article, drawing on empirical evidence from my study, I argue that lockdown restrictions on in-person interactions and the increased reliance on ICTs shaped interactions and how relationships were experienced. The shift in practices highlighted the significance of the physicality and embodiment of everyday practices of care and perceptions of relationships. I argue that ‘caring through a screen’ under lockdown had impacts on subjective and relational wellbeing. I use the concept of developing co-presence across distance through ICTs to analyse shifts in family caring practices in the unique context of a national lockdown. I show how experiences of the disruption of the physicality of everyday micro-acts of care have shaped perceptions of family relationships. © 2022 Policy Press. All rights reserved.