Reflections from the Business School's margins: On doing engaged scholarship

Abstract

In this response to Lees's opening article on engaged dialogue, we reflect on doing engaged scholarship in the context of UK high streets. We foreground three facets of this approach: first, collaborating with partners beyond the ivory tower; second, engaging with ‘left-behind’ places; and third, reconsidering the value of academic outputs to move beyond esteemed journals. We offer these insights working as an interdisciplinary collective focused on helping communities to make their places better, which some might say is marginal within a Business School research agenda context. Finally, we conclude that, despite the challenges we have encountered doing engaged scholarship, the rewards of generating real-world impact outweigh any potential personal costs to our individual career ambitions.