250213 Participatory Research Methods: Reconfiguring Research Relationships and Knowledge Production (S) (WiSe 2018/2019)

This seminar is for students interested in qualitative research that positions participants as co-producers of knowledge. This approach challenges positivist approaches to knowledge in which the researcher is The Expert and knowledge is extracted from research participants. Rather, participatory methods start from an understanding of research participants as experts in their lived experience who are capable of theorizing their worlds. This course will be of particular interest to students who wish to conduct research with youth, marginalized populations (including those who experience marginalization on the basis of refugee status, migration background, race, gender, sexuality, disability, etc.), and in international development contexts. The methods we study have roots in critical race, postcolonial, decolonial, feminist, and queer approaches to knowledge production. We read about the ethics and politics of knowledge production, and use hands-on approaches to learn methods including participatory action research, forum theatre, and visual mapping.