Some steps for decolonising international research-for-development partnerships
EADI Blog by Katarzyna Cieslik, Shreya Sinha, Cees Leeuwis, Tania Eulalia Martínez-Cruz, Nivedita Narain and Bhaskar Vira
Much of the very urgent and timely discussion on decolonising the academy – recognising and changing the colonial relations of power that are embedded in teaching as well as research – has focused on representation, on diversifying the curricula, and on theorising from the Global South. But what about research partnerships and collaborations? This is a slightly overlooked issue in the decolonisation agenda, but one that is no less important.
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The purpose of this draft is to offer a starting point for thinking through the issues at stake and to provide structure for the broader discussion to take place at the 7thWCRI at which this statement is to be formalised. The end goal of this process is to produce a statement that presents systemic and structural values and principles necessary aimed at promoting equitable, fair and responsible partnerships.
Decolonisation was originally intended as a revolutionary concept and approach, but contemporary debates, including in the global North, have arguably mainstreamed the concept of decolonisation. Indeed, one might ask whether the debate on decolonising academia itself has been colonised. This does not make decolonising academia irrelevant. On the contrary, it emphasises the importance of continuous attention to how structural imbalances of inequality are reproduced.
With this project, an interdisciplinary team of researchers aims to shed light on the dynamics and scope of ethical challenges as they pertain to research staff collecting data in low- and middle-income countries.
In this recorded lecture of the Interdisciplinary Global Development Centre at York University, Dr Tuhiwai Smith discusses decolonising research methods and provides reflections regarding the practical conduct of social science research methods. She talks about how to navigate and resist colonial legacies of knowledge production and resist extractivist models.
EADI BLOG by Linda Johnson and Rodrigo Mena
Image: Charl Folscher on Unsplash
Global scientific partnerships should generate and share knowledge equitably, but too often exploit research partners in low-income countries, while disproportionately benefitting those in higher-income countries. Here, I outline my suggestions for more-equitable partnerships.
