On Feb. 13, 2025, PNN attended the first “Safe & Sound: Symposium on Social Safety in Fieldwork” event. What follows are our reflections on this insightful gathering.
For many PhD candidates, fieldwork is one of the most exciting aspects of their research. It offers adventure, discovery, and the opportunity to collect crucial data. However, fieldwork also comes with unique challenges—particularly when it comes to social safety. Unlike working in a controlled academic environment, being in the field can mean dealing with isolation, power imbalances, and a lack of immediate support.
Recognizing these challenges, Naturalis, Landelijk Netwerk Vrouwelijke Hoogleraren, and BiodiversityXL hosted the first-ever conference dedicated to the topic of social safety in fieldwork. Promovendi Netwerk Nederland (PNN) had the opportunity to attend this event, and it was both eye-opening and inspiring.
Have you ever witnessed or experienced inappropriate behavior during fieldwork? Have you ever been wrongly accused of being the problem in a conflict situation? Have you felt isolated or struggled with mental health while spending months away from home in challenging conditions?
These questions—and many more—were central to the symposium. Through powerful enactments by het Acteursgenootschap, participants were confronted with real-life scenarios of unsafe situations in the field. What became clear was that while social safety is a concern in many workplaces, fieldwork presents distinct risks: there is often no direct access to support structures, dynamics in professional relationships change, and working conditions can be harsh.
One of the keynote speakers, Naomi Ellemers, highlighted the systemic, cultural, and structural risks that come with fieldwork. She stressed that social safety should not be an afterthought—it must be anticipated and addressed before researchers even enter the field. This requires strong leadership, clear protocols, and a recognition that emotional well-being is just as important as physical safety.The discussions at the conference underscored an urgent need for leaders to take social safety in fieldwork seriously. PNN was handed the baton to keep the discussion on social safety in fieldwork moving forward. If you have experiences, concerns, or ideas on how to improve fieldwork safety, we would love to hear from you. In the meantime, we aim to address this topic within the diverse contexts in which we address social safety.
