Summary
This session is intended to be messy and will leave you with more questions than you came in with. We shall start off by asking ourselves “what are you pretending not to know?” This question inspired by African-American scholar and activist Toni Cade Bambara will guide us into the conversation. How do we understand our role as researchers? In what ways are we complicit in reproducing structural inequities and systemic harm? This manifesto is centered around 3 “big” themes: At what and whose cost do we engage in research? What right do I have to engage in this research work? What if I refused to participate? This is an invitation to get intimate with ourselves and investigate the privilege(s) we hold as researchers and designers. Reflecting on the power imbalances that exist, how can we move toward a culturally thriving and sustainably empowering approach to emancipatory research that centers minoritized communities? Asking these questions and sitting with their complexities is urgent and necessary. Together, we strive for less extractive, decolonial, and anti-capitalist visions for research that are rooted in liberatory harm reduction, relationship building and community empowerment.
Key Insights
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Research should prioritize relationality and recognize the complexities of systemic harm.
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Empathy is foundational in research but should not replace lived experiences.
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It is crucial to differentiate between rights and entitlement in research work.
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Compensation must be generous, ethical, and reflective of reciprocity in research practices.
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Time is a social construct that influences power dynamics in research, making it essential to consider time as a form of currency.
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Participants in research have the right to control what they share—payment does not entitle researchers to their experiences.
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The practice of research should move away from extractive methods—humans are not commodities to be mined for information.
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Recognizing the inclination to cause harm can lead to better practices in research and community engagement.
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Agency in research entails not just participation but also the choice to refuse engagement when necessary.
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Understanding communal proximity does not automatically grant the right to engage in others' narratives.
Notable Quotes
"The true focus of revolutionary change is never merely the oppressive situation, but rather that piece of the oppressor that lives in all of us."
"Empathy should be considered the baseline, not the end goal."
"We need to stop stealing other people's shoes."
"This is not a mining operation; humans are not minerals or gemstones waiting to be mined."
"What right do I have to engage in this work?"
"Does communal proximity guarantee the right to engage?"
"We all have the capacity to cause harm, and just because we practice empathy doesn't mean we can't cause harm."
"Choosing to remain silent is still a choice."
"So much of the work of oppression is policing the imagination."
"You have not lost your rights, you don't lose your humanity."
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