15 - The Presence–Absence of Violence: A Conversation with Eva van Roekel on the Importance and Challenges of Perpetrator Research

In this episode, Heidi Mogstad speaks with cultural anthropologist Eva van Roekel about her unconventional research on war perpetrators in Argentina — individuals indicted for crimes against humanity during the so-called Dirty War (1974–1983). The two anthropologists discuss the ethical and methodological challenges of studying soldiers who have committed acts of violence and atrocity, and how engaging with their perspectives can complicate, but also enrich, prevailing theories as well as our moral and political assumptions.Eva van Roekel is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands.Heidi Mogstad is Senior Researcher at the Chr. Michelsen Institute, Norway.