Abstract
Co-research for knowledge justice
Despite long-held demands for ‘nothing about us without us’ from disability, consumer/survivor, and peer movements, people with lived experience still tend to be recruited as subjects rather than active agents in research, or they are consulted in tokenistic and ad-hoc ways. The systemic marginalising of people with lived experience in knowledge production has been described as an ‘epistemic injustice’ that maintains knowledge hegemonies. Although participatory research (e.g., co-research, co-design research, co-production research, lived experience-led research) has the potential to rectify epistemic disparities, efforts towards systemic change are often derailed by entrenched power dynamics and organisational (un)readiness. In this conversation, I ask, what does it mean to centre communities in knowledge production, why does it matter, and what would it take to change research practice? I also discuss levels of research participation, community expectations for involvement, processes and mindsets for co-research, and some key barriers to meaningful change.
