Reaching the hinterlands? COVID-19's unexpected challenges to conducting participatory research on Inuit Arctic politics.

This article examines the unexpected challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic to conducting participatory qualitative research on Inuit Arctic politics, specifically a four-year project studying Canadian and American Inuit political organization and strategies within the Arctic Council. The pandemic's travel restrictions and participant burnout risks necessitated rapid methodological pivots, including integrating multiple data streams (archival documents, interviews, and virtual observations) and leveraging digital technologies for remote data collection. These adaptations expanded the scope and richness of data, enhanced trustworthiness through triangulation, and underscored the importance of design flexibility, researcher reflexivity, and centering respect for Indigenous participants. The study's experience offers insights for future research involving Indigenous and remote populations, advocating for methodological agility and the legitimization of virtual qualitative methods to improve accessibility and reduce participant burden.