From Stakeholders to Joint Knowledge Production Partners

Abstract

Academic research involving societal partners often approaches the latter as less knowledgeable, not possessing the skills and authority that the academic field has in producing legitimate knowledge. Still, several (academic) traditions have engaged in practices that destabilise the notion of the academia as the exclusive field of knowledge production, albeit not without inconsistencies between theory and practice. Building on this tradition, this article addresses the need to involve societal partners in the start-up phases of projects that aim for participatory knowledge production. Using (autho)ethnography this article reflects on the start-up phase of a research project on environmental communication, which involves a wide range of societal actors. It critically evaluates the participatory intensities of the start-up phase process which involved a series of collaborative decisions on how to structure participation, and reports on the outcomes of this process, namely a set of guiding principles and a toolkit aiming to foster and enable participation.

The challenges and benefits of documenting Bakoni tangible heritage and perceptions thereof using Photovoice.

“…Beyond the collaboration with research participants, this project required the mobilisation, coordination, and management of the requisite resources so that the conditions conducive for research could be met (Doudaki and Carpentier, 2021). These resources included transportation, refreshments, and digital cameras amongst others.…”

“…Photovoice in the Mashishing setting. They will be analysed in the conceptual framework of representation theory (du Gay et al, 1997;Hall, 1997b;Motzkin, 2002;Derrida, 1982;Smith, 2009), participatory communication theory (Servaes, 1996;Doudaki and Carpentier, 2021;Tufte and Mefalopulos, 2009;Huesca, 2008). The remainder of the chapter will then present and analyse the data that was collected in focus groups and interviews, but organised into the following…”

“…It is crucial to approach such dynamics with consideration because should the conduct and outcomes of this study neglect participation, it risks promoting exclusion, discrimination and the maintenance of imbalanced power structures (Doudaki and Carpentier, 2021). I strived to create an environment where everyone would feel seen and their input valued.…”