…And (epistemic) justice for all: a cautionary tale of knowledge inequality in participatory research

…And (epistemic) justice for all: a cautionary tale of knowledge inequality in participatory research Andrew Fletcher Quality in Ageing and Older Adults, Vol. ahead-of-print, No. ahead-of-print, pp.- Significant funding has been made available in the UK for social, behavioural and design research that aims to improve health and wellbeing for older adults. The growing importance and use of participatory and co-creative approaches in this field not only reflects a general turn in social research but also seeks to redress power imbalances between researchers and researched. This paper aims to use Miranda Fricker’s concept of “epistemic injustice” as a lens to describe the author’s experience with one such project, and highlight the cautions and considerations that must be made when navigating, handling and amalgamating “other people’s knowledge”.Personal and theoretical reflection. Primary data for this paper consists of first-hand insider observations on how different forms of knowledge were treated in an interdisciplinary, intersectoral participatory research context.Some participatory studies are hampered by insufficient consideration for a range of ways of thinking, including between researchers and participants, younger and older adults, different academic disciplines or academia and industry. This can harm project integrity and outcomes, potentially eroding trust in academic research.By reflecting on a recent participatory study in healthy ageing, this pape...

Source: Quality in Ageing and Older Adults - September 2, 2023 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Andrew Fletcher Source Type: research