Shifting the Collaboration Paradigm: Towards Decolonization Through Refugee-Led Research
Authors: Rega, I.
Pages: 122-138
DOI: 10.4324/9781003536406-11
Abstract:This chapter reflects on research collaborations undertaken by higher education institutions (from the Global North and the Global South), and the non-profit sector, involving refugees, especially in the Global South. It claims that in order to work toward a research framework based on just and equitable partnerships and collaborations there is a need of an epistemological and methodological shift, pushing the boundaries of decolonization and epistemologies of the south discourses, and aiming at reverting the metaphorical territories occupied by the Global North and the Global South in terms of core and periphery, the margins, in the production of knowledge, and in contributing to global and international research fora and platforms. Drawing from my experience as Global Research Director for JWL (Jesuit Worldwide Learning), an initiative aiming at providing blended learning higher education opportunities to young people living at the margins, especially in refugee camps in the Global South, this chapter discusses the seminal evidences of this paradigm shift, and a trajectory from research FOR refugees (refugee-focused), to a research WITH refugees (refugee-driven), to refugee-LED research, with refugees conducting research in the local communities but also being visible in international spaces.
Source: Scopus