Between What They Are and What They Were: Power Dynamics and Knowledge Production in Fieldwork with Argentine Perpetrators

Abstract

This article reflects on fieldwork conducted between 2015 and 2017 with Argentine perpetrators who were tried for crimes against humanity. The majority of these retired officials were interviewed while they were in prison, subject to widespread social condemnation, and no longer held positions of power. Consequently, this article focuses on how these conditions influenced the power dynamics between the interviewees and the researcher, the type of data collected, and the production of knowledge. Additionally, it examines how the emotions that emerged in the interaction with perpetrators affected the researcher and the course of the research.