The article mainly aims to discuss the methodological challenges involved in conducting research with forced migrants, including refugees. Firstly, it begins debating the construction of categories of migrants, how they are conceptually defined, how they are interpreted, as well as juridically and politically mobilized by different actors. Moreover, it provides a brief historical overview on the constitution of the forced migration and refugee studies area, shedding light on current perspectives in respect to the enlargement of migrants categories considered by researchers on this field. Finally, it focuses on the methodological debate itself, covering the research methods and techniques employed in this field and exploring the quantitative versus qualitative approaches, as well as the limits and possibilities presented by each of them. The purpose of this article is therefore to contribute to conceptual-theoretical, methodological and epistemological assets within the forced migration research field. © 2017 Universidade Federal de Goias. All rights reserved.

Research Forced migration Methodology categorization Refugee

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