Physical Borders and Digital Shortcuts: Comparing Internet-Mediated Research with Entering the Field in Abkhazia and Pridnestrovie

Abstract

In the face of travel restrictions imposed by external circumstances, researchers need to find alternative means of collecting primary data. Such was the case for the author when conducting interviews for a doctoral dissertation on the politics of international law in secessionist conflicts in the post-Soviet space, between the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the repercussions of the war in Ukraine. The author reflects on how, in his case, adopting mitigating strategies through internet-mediated research (IMR) proved to remain a complementary option. Focusing on his interactions with the de facto authorities and border regimes of Abkhazia and Pridnestrovie (Transnistria), the author examines the added value of “entering the field” as opposed to taking “digital shortcuts”. The article concludes with a theoretical reflection on the scholarly aspects of interacting with such borders and how this, in turn, contributes to their constitution.