Institutional get-to-know guide
The institutional get-to-know for North-South research collaboration was developed in order to help northern and southern researchers to design research project object of North-South research collaboration. In order to maximize chances for successful collaboration supported by equity and resource access, the collaborators need specific information about each other. To develop the guide, the author collected (de)colonization related stories from southern and northern researchers involved in North-South research collaboration, and summarized their experiences into statements. These statements were translated into questions to guide efforts of knowing collaborators at project design phase.
The exercise was developed to be used in group composed by the North-South research collaborators.
You might use the institutional get-to-know guide via the following steps:
Definition of element to get-to-know
- Read each statement below.
- Each group of northern and southern researchers choose at least your five (5) most important statements, and opens them.
Discussion of element to get-to-know
- Discuss the statements using the guiding questions provided.
Statements
Each statement represents experience from (de)colonization related stories of southern and northern researchers involved in North-South research collaboration. They are presented in a way to present the experience and their “opposite”, to raise awareness of your situation and situations other researchers may experience.
During the meeting for institutional get-to-know, the following comments have to be taken into account:
- The individual researchers do not have to position their colleagues.
- The self-awareness exercise has to be sent to participants before the meeting.
- The reflection part of the exercise has to be done first individually, and then in the group.
- The moderator and note taker should be external to the research collaboration team.
- The moderator of the group and the researchers participating in the exercise have to establish a safe space for each individual researchers, considering at least the following points:
- Preparing the self-awareness exercise taking into account hierarchy among the researchers and the diversity of background of the researchers.
- Reminding of the discomfort of the discussion.
- Establishing a constructive dialogue and avoiding a blame game.
- Acknowledging the diversity of perspectives