In this session, the speakers will discuss participatory and community-based research (PAR) in pointing at the institutional requirements but also challenging the real aim of such approaches. The benefits of doing truly participatory research – in which communities guide and lead the research process themselves – are many. However, the process of preparing for such research can be far from 'participatory,' as ethical obligations are dictated by the institution or national research council by whom the research is funded.
In this regard, Caitlin Procter will share experiences of ethical negotiations between a British university ethics board and researchers in refugee communities in Jordan, in the context of a participatory research project exploring child protection during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the second part, Florian Carl will point at some limits of PAR approaches, such as the tendency to reproduce myths around the utilitarian benefit of academic knowledge extraction for a "greater good". He will draw on his research and community-organising experience to consider some ethical issues: which communities are we accountable to and on what basis? Rather than rendering community-based knowledge more accessible for academic deconstructive ethics, academic peer communities, and institutional pressures, how can research adhere to constructive ethics like grounded normativity, community protocols, and reciprocal relations?