ABSTRACT
Researching political Islam in the Middle East means the recognition of an enduring set of tropes and associated perspectives. In particular, it means that researchers have had to work within a field that has had significant bearing in shaping policy discourses and understandings of the region in the contemporary era. This has made political Islam dominant and impacted further knowledge production. By researching political Islam we also encounter and embody field sites that are contentious and fraught with risk and ethical dilemmas. The challenges are difficult to overcome especially when a more conscious approach to how to conduct such research remains lacking within the academic milieu.
