Research Justice as Reciprocity: Homegrown Research Methodologies

Abstract

This article describes and demonstrates a methodology for research justice through what I call "homegrown" research methodologies, or methods that are emergent from and responsive to community needs. While academics develop, study, and deploy research methods that are ethical and rigorous, they often don't capture the complex, lived realities of participants' lives. Research justice, in contrast, directly responds to community needs as identified by the community; centers community members as experts in the research process; and "creates, maintains, and engages" experiential, spiritual, cultural, and mainstream knowledges of community members (Jolivétte, Research Justice 1). I develop and articulate a theoretical approach for research justice to show how universities can contribute to communities by conducting ethical, useful, and justice-oriented research.

Empowering Workers and Learners through a Combined Participatory Action Research and Research Justice Approach

“…To maintain the "rigor" of what is often perceived as "true" scientific research, more traditional PAR methods may involve consulting with community members only after the data have been collected by the researchers (Sandwick et al 2018). Utilizing an RJ framework through the data collection process guarantees that workers and learners personally document and examine the structures creating inequities in their lives as students and workers (Bay 2019). Workers and learners from different schools and backgrounds critically examined the issues they faced and collectively imagined the solutions that would best meet their needs (Darder 2015).…”