‘Co-Producing research between academics, NGOs, and communities in humanitarian response’,

Dr Michelle Lokot, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Dr Caitlin Wake, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Gang Karume, Rebuild Hope for Africa.

Trinity Term 2021 Seminar Series
Convener: Dr Evan Easton-Calabria

About the series:
This public seminar series aims to examine research on refugees and forced migration within the broader localisation agenda, as well as methodological attempts to ‘localise’ refugee research through co-creating and co-conducting research with refugees and local hosts. Through a blend of practically-, methodologically-, and theoretically-focused seminars, this series aims to present current research designs and methodologies involving refugee and local researchers, and the challenges and opportunities that lie therein, as well as theoretical work reflecting on issues of ethics and power. Concomitant with these discussions will be ongoing examinations of the relationship between advocacy and scholarship, and the extent to which both can and should be met together.

About the talk:
The term ‘co-production’ is becoming increasingly used in the humanitarian sector to describe a new way of approaching research partnerships. In this seminar, we present findings from a recently published practice guide on co-producing research with academics, NGOS and communities in humanitarian settings. The practice guide is based on semi-structured interviews with academics and practitioners with experience co-producing research and engaging in research partnerships. We will explore what it means to ‘co-produce’ research and outline several key principles of co-production. Our seminar includes reflections by Gang Karume, who will discuss his experiences co-producing research as part of his work with Rebuild Hope for Africa in the Democratic Republic of Congo.