Collaborations In Research

Particpate – Create – Interrogate

This resource originates from an interdisciplinary research residential funded by the Independent Social Research Foundation (ISRF), held at Girton College, Cambridge, during week commencing 21st August 2017. It brings together community arts-based practice, criminology, social research and sociology to interrogate and yield new insights into the processes, practicalities and realities of adopting participatory styles of research with people who have lived expereince of social exclusion. What has emerged is an evolving collection of materials that reflect both the possibilities and challenges of collaborative research practice.

All of the posts are intended to be used as a resource for those interested in adopting participatory/collaborative approaches to research. Some of the posts include abstracts, presentations and responses to speakers invited to this event, for example:

• Ruth Armstrong and Amy Ludlow
• Nicola Harding
• Nick Hardwick CBE
• Erwin James
• Fergus McNeill

There are also posts documenting the experiences, reflections and responses from the team to the realities of working creatively and/or collaboratively:

• Researcher and practitioner reflections
• Collaborative ‘zines’
• Collage
• Objects of significance

This site is intended as a resource for those interested in adopting participatory and collaborative approaches to research. Whether you are a researcher, practitioner, or working in partnership with communities, you are invited to:

• Explore the materials and reflections shared here
• Consider how collaborative methods might inform your own work
• Engage critically with the challenges as well as the possibilities of participation

Collaboration is not simply a method, but an ongoing practice of dialogue, negotiation, and shared inquiry.

Additional pages on the website give biographical details of everyone who contributed to the research residential and a little about the background with links to the Independent Social research Foundation (ISRF) who funded the event.

Other posts elaborating on all aspects of arts-based, creative and collaborative approaches to research are added periodically. These include contributions from Clare Pettinger, ‘Creative and collaborative ways of ‘doing and sharing research’ and Kitrina Douglas and David Carless, ‘Reflection on a journey into the unknown’.