CARE Ethics guidelines

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• PERIL believes that the experience and safety of groups and individuals threatened by extremism must be prioritized. Our positive ethical principles focus on reducing harm to vulnerable communities and support for victim-survivors, while integrating efforts to combat racial injustice, male supremacy, religious and ethnic intolerance, white supremacy, institutional and structural racism, and other forms of extremism and injustice. 
• PERIL will prioritize and uplift the voices of those communities and individuals who are most impacted by extremism, polarization, and the structural and historical injustices that create them. Our public facing activities—such as working groups, symposia, webinars, etc.—will always strive to include diverse voices and experiences. 
• All research conducted by PERIL is subject to both institutional ethical guidelines (as determined by IRB protocols for human subject study research), by disciplinary ethics, and by our ethics as a lab and as individuals. 
• PERIL is radically committed to the reduction of polarization in our mainstream political discourse. We will gladly work with partners from across the political spectrum, so long as they, too, prioritize liberal democratic ideals and if doing so does not conflict with PERIL’s core commitments to addressing the structural origins of extremism. 
• PERIL is committed to producing work that does not produce “suspect communities,” nor to whitewashing or platforming bad-faith individuals. When enlisting the work of former extremists, PERIL will not work with any individual who has not clearly committed to a path of restorative justice. PERIL will also not work with any individual who is fewer than three years removed from participation in extremist politics, culture, or social scenes. PERIL will consult with its several advisory circles to help distinguish between individuals and groups operating in bad faith from those operating good faith with whom we have legitimate ethical or methodological differences. 
• All research conducted by PERIL is subject to both institutional ethical guidelines (as determined by IRB protocols for human subject study research), by disciplinary ethics, and by our ethics as a lab and as individuals. 
• PERIL recognizes the role of existing social and institutional dynamics in fostering the emergence of extremism. PERIL will always advocate for reform of the governmental and non-governmental sectors of society, which may reduce these risks. It will do so regardless of past, present, or future partnerships. PERIL will also pursue partnerships with key institutions that may be the subject of such hoped-for reforms. We do so with the intent of providing a voice of advocacy and constructive critique, to show how the goals of anti-extremism and structural reform coincide. 
• PERIL will not work with a partner who has been credibly accused of, or sanctioned for, abusive and/or harassing behavior. PERIL will not work with partners who misrepresent their own work or the work of others, or who have committed a serious violation of scholarly ethics with no path to restitution and amends. PERIL will be obliged to end its relationship with partners who are credibly accused of these behaviors, even in the midst of ongoing projects.