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Paper short abstract:

Drawing on collaborative research undertaken with 13 auto-ethnographic youth researchers across Iraq, Syria and Jordan, this paper presents a toolkit for embodied methods and considers how research practices themselves can further peace, justice and agency.

Paper long abstract:

Emerging out of an ongoing project that seeks to advance decolonial feminist approaches to research, through this contribution we will share initial lessons, findings and challenges encountered by youth researchers (and in the accompaniment of them) in designing, conducting, analysing and publishing auto-ethnographic research into everyday embodied encounters with heritage and its role in peace, protest and resistance.

In doing so, we will together explore participatory aspects of auto-ethnography, whereby youth researchers were invited to engage in co-constructing research questions and workshops, and in developing a methodological toolkit from which they could draw. This included the likes of body mapping, photo voice, reflection circles, creative writing, watercolour painting, movement exercises and heritage walks, as well as visual, audio and written journalling. By facilitating networks of researchers through regular learning circles, we also highlight the importance of trust (in one another and the process) and the role of friendship in and as method in advancing critical reflection. Through such approaches we illustrate the ways in which the methods we use, might themselves, contribute to a felt sense of peace in the midst of insecurity and discuss together how an ethos of care might sit alongside methodological depth and rigour.

For the second part of the panel, we will experiment with one of the methods from the toolkit, guiding participants through a brief visualisation and movement exercise, which allows for different levels of engagement according to different bodies and comfort levels, followed by a short reflection exercise.

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Paper short abstract:

The paper presents learnings from initiatives using games, sports, and play for community-led development. It aims to draw out these methods’ distinctive contributions compared to arts-based and audio-visual tools, more commonly featured in the participatory research literature.

Paper long abstract:

While critical literature has explored the successes, challenges, and ethical dimensions of participatory approaches, often focusing on visual and arts-based methods such as theatre, photography, mapping, storytelling or performance (Coemans & Hannes, 2017), games, sports, and play as tools for community-led research have been largely under-researched in development studies.

This paper focuses on the potential of participatory games-based methods for emancipatory development, particularly in times of crisis that demand reimagining alternative futures. Although they have received limited scholarly attention, games and play-based methods are used extensively in community initiatives and development interventions. Many global development institutions promote sport as a tool for addressing a range of development and climate goals (Gadais, 2019), sometimes criticized for being co-opted as an instrument for the governmentality of donor-driven agendas (Burnett 2015). Yet, sports and games are also widely used in neighbourhood initiatives and grassroots movements of community resistance, for subversive, emancipatory, and decolonial intentions along the lines conceptualized by participatory action research thinkers such as Freire or Fals Borda.

Amidst these debates and multiple uses, the paper explores sport and play as a form of action research, their methodological specificities and the circumstances where these techniques can contribute to contesting dominant epistemologies, navigating uncertainty, and envisioning new pathways for social change. Themes include how sports and games may redefine forms of engagement and interactions, present new opportunities for co-creation and critical pedagogies, open distinctive entry points for empowerment - engaging the body and voice through play - and inspiring collective action and coalition-building.

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Paper short abstract:

My study examines how politically restricted environments affect the feasibility of citizen science, highlighting shortcomings in traditional typologies and models. It offers practical insights to innovate citizen science and strategically improve public participation in such contexts.

Paper long abstract:

Citizen science (CS) is widely discussed as a means of fostering collaboration between academic institutions and the public, empowering citizens in participatory governance. However, its application in politically restrictive civic environments remains underexplored. This study investigates the feasibility of CS in such a context through the Vietnam Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI). The analysis draws on interviews with PAPI leaders, local citizens, and government officials, complemented by a comprehensive document review.

Examining PAPI with multi-level perspective analysis, the study reveals three key insights. First, although not explicitly framed as a CS programme, PAPI aligns with the contributory CS model through its citizen engagement strategies. Second, despite notable impacts, citizen participation within PAPI is characterised by persistent tokenism, as evidenced by citizens’ limited power and constrained participatory spaces. Third, challenges such as a lack of autonomy and safety concerns, rooted in Vietnam’s political institutions, further exacerbate these limitations.

This paper argues that addressing these barriers requires implementing CS as part of a broader portfolio of interventions, including advocacy for educational reforms to enhance citizens’ autonomy and capacity for meaningful engagement. It also identifies shortcomings in existing terminologies for defining CS types in restricted contexts and proposes a context-sensitive definition of CS, along with a framework to guide the selection of suitable CS project types. By examining PAPI’s successes and limitations, this study underscores the potential of CS to drive governance reform in politically restrictive settings and offers practical lessons for extending its application to underexplored contexts.

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Paper short abstract:

Drawing on our experiences as early-career researchers in merging decolonial praxis and participatory approaches between the UK, Jordan and Egypt, the session aims to nurture a collective space to creatively and critically reflect about scholar-activism and disrupting coloniality.

Paper long abstract:

As early-career researchers and aspiring scholar-activists, we grapple with the tensions in seeking to weave decolonial theoretical frameworks with participatory approaches. While PAR stems from the radical Freirean teachings of collective ‘conscientization’ (Fals Borda, 1991), longstanding critiques have challenged the extent to which it has become institutionalized and subsequently upholds colonial, patriarchal, neoliberal, individualistic practices and interests in development theory and practice (Cooke and Kothari, 2001). PAR risks becoming a ‘tick-box’ exercise for researchers and practitioners, raising questions about inhabiting spaces of decolonial praxis (Tuhiwai-Smith, 2012). Decolonial praxis invites researchers to be consciously aware of this ‘performative and colonial participation’, and to nurture context-specific forms of resistance to epistemic and material coloniality (Quijano, 2000). Meanwhile, many indigenous and Othered communities are not only resisting colonial power and knowledge systems but also “re-existing” through practices that reconnect to the body, art, spirituality and nature (Seppälä et al., 2021).

This paper explores these tensions through research with rural Bedouin in Jordan and Gazan adolescents in Egypt, alongside experiences with the Centre for Decolonising Knowledge in Teaching, Research and Practice (DECkNO). The session will be based around a creative activity inviting participants to explore what decolonial praxis means to them and how it shapes their actions both within and outside of research. Collectively examining the concept of the ‘scholar-activist’ and the quotidian experiences of decolonial praxis, this session invites affective reflections about how we ‘do our research’ and create communities within UK academic institutions to disrupt coloniality.

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Paper short abstract:

Drawing on my doctoral research, I bring expertise in adapting participatory and co-production methods to explore sensitive topics with women with disabilities; insights on accessible PhotoVoice and remote data collection; and strategies for balancing decolonial approaches and avoiding tokenism.

Paper long abstract:

In this presentation, I reflect on my doctoral research with women with disabilities in Lima, Peru, focusing on how participatory and co-production methodologies were adapted to explore sensitive topics like violence. Initially, my approach prioritised creating safe spaces where women with disabilities could lead and design the research process. However, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted this framework, compelling a shift toward co-production with the field team. I worked closely with 4 local field workers who were initially intended as facilitators, to co-design and adapt the research.

We implemented remote data collection, with fieldworkers transitioning into ethnographers, using tablets and cameras to engage in photo-voice, an accessible method for documenting and discussing experiences. The pandemic highlighted challenges including inequalities in digital access and literacy and a lack of private spaces to discuss sensitive topics, necessitating creative solutions to maintain meaningful engagement while ensuring participant safety and adhering to ethical standards. This shift illuminated the complexities of power dynamics in co-production, particularly when addressing sensitive topics in mediated settings.

The experience emphasised the need for flexibility, local partnerships, and inclusive, non-hierarchical research environments. By sharing these insights, I aim to contribute to ongoing discussions about inclusive, decolonial methodologies in global development. I will explore the spectrum of participation, from tokenistic engagement to genuine co-creation, highlighting the potential of participatory methodologies to empower marginalised communities and facilitate social change. This research underscores the importance of centring marginalised voices in the design and conduct of research, particularly in the context of sensitive topics like violence.

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Paper short abstract:

This study highlights lessons from the application of photovoice as a participatory research method, drawing on a 6-month fieldwork with young entrepreneurs in Zambia.

Paper long abstract:

Methodological innovations are vital for advancing research. Photovoice, an emerging qualitative tool, uses photos to capture individuals' perspectives on issues affecting them. However, the application of photovoice in young entrepreneurs in developing countries remains underexplored. This article reflects on a 5-month PhD fieldwork in Zambia's Copperbelt Region, a disadvantage mining community, detailing the application of photovoice in focus group discussions (n=8). The study followed a five-step photovoice process: introducing the research context, explaining the technique, capturing photos, and processing and analysing data. Photovoice shifts power dynamics, positioning participants as active contributors rather than research subjects, and generating participant-driven data. Despite its potential, challenges emerged, including illiteracy, limited access to digital tools, a lack of digital skills, and participant scepticism, which hindered engagement. Addressing these barriers requires detailed guidance and digital capacity building for participants. This article highlights the potential of photovoice to empower young entrepreneurs by enabling them to shape and narrate their experiences while contributing to broader qualitative research discussions.

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Paper short abstract:

This paper proposes the active use of boundary object tools to enhance participatory governance in addressing wicked problems, particularly environmental challenges, within the Indian policy process.

Paper long abstract:

India’s environmental policy has evolved significantly. Despite progress, challenges such as bureaucratic inertia, policy implementation gaps, and inadequate community engagement persist, limiting the effectiveness of environmental governance. The 1990s marked a shift toward participatory governance catalyzed by grassroots movements like the Chipko Movement and judicial interventions that emphasized community involvement in environmental conservation. However, barriers such as socio-cultural exclusions, political interference, and capacity gaps at the local level continue to undermine these participatory efforts.

Boundary objects—tools, concepts, or practices that foster collaboration across diverse stakeholders—have emerged as essential facilitators of inclusive governance. Examples include participatory maps and gender-sensitive frameworks, which enable knowledge exchange, co-creation, and alignment of diverse stakeholder goals. Boundary objects bridge gaps between national policies and local realities. They offer a flexible yet structured approach to sustainable governance.

Case studies illustrate their potential: the West Bengal participatory forest management initiative transformed forests into shared resources, aligning conservation goals with community livelihoods. The Sukhomajri watershed project employed check dams and benefit-sharing agreements to unify ecological and economic objectives, fostering trust and cooperation. These tools integrated traditional knowledge with scientific frameworks to ensure equitable conservation outcomes.

To address wicked problems such as climate change and biodiversity loss, this paper advocates for strategically incorporating boundary objects into India’s environmental governance frameworks. These tools foster collaboration, enhance adaptability, and support long-term sustainability. Participatory governance facilitated by boundary objects offers a promising pathway for policy development. Such that the policies are responsive to diverse stakeholder needs and remain grounded in local contexts.

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Paper short abstract:

I draw on two fieldwork experiences in Accra, Ghana, in 2022 and 2024/5, where I used social network mapping as a central tool. My contribution discusses my reflections on the approach, the shift in how I conducted the method from my first to my second research project, and what induced it.

Paper long abstract:

Generating social relationship maps is a valuable tool within qualitative and quantitative social network analysis alike. However, the approach differs depending on the utilisation of the data. I am drawing on two points of fieldwork in Accra, Ghana. First, I co-generated network maps with a group of young head-porters in 2022 intending to utilise the maps as a visualisation tool to capture their combined network embeddedness. Throughout my PhD fieldwork in 2024 and 2025, I worked with tomato traders and noticed how my approach gradually changed based on an increasing discomfort towards the rigidity of my initial understanding of the method.

Instead of trying to generate a complete map of the relationship system amongst the traders and along the value chain I became more intentional with having the participants take the lead in what the maps may look like. This came about with an increasing awareness of the dynamic nature of social networks, which cannot merely be captured by one static combination of ego networks at a certain point in time. I was able to free myself from the pre-defined form that would be necessary to visualise it.

My contribution, therefore, discusses the different ways of using network mapping with participants as part of ethnographic research. Further, I would like to delve deeper into creative ways to incorporate maps of any shape into research projects and how they can accompany conversation as well as generate a new understanding of social relations.

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Paper short abstract:

Based on my ongoing doctoral research, I will reflect on the process of knowledge co-production and mobilising academic scholarship in fighting for climate justice within an emerging youth-led social movement.

Paper long abstract:

In the course of my PhD research project I aim to co-produce alternative narratives of climate justice with young climate activists fighting on the frontlines of the climate crisis in the Philippines. This paper discusses my ongoing journey navigating what I experience as two parallel pathways - satisfying the academic requirements of doctoral research while also seeking to co-create knowledge with a purpose of contributing to the fight for climate justice. I dissect my research design and methodological choices by considering both the trade-offs and the synergies of knowledge co-production and collaboration within an emerging youth-led social movement.

Young people have taken centre stage in recent years to demand transformative climate action in the face of a deepening global climate crisis. Our understanding of this movement is largely based on Global North mobilisations and direct action. It is essential to recognise and highlight diverse youth climate activism experiences in the Global South, where communities are facing not only climate impacts but also social injustices and human rights violations in the context of climate action. In increasingly authoritarian contexts, everyday activism offers more dynamic and less risky ways into resistance that meets individuals' means and lived realities. By working collaboratively with young activists I consider the parallels between the injustices of the climate crisis - caused by the Global North and most impactful to the Global South - and the traditional power imbalances between knowledge production, researcher-subject dynamics, and the tensions between grassroots activism and academic scholarship.

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Paper short abstract:

This paper explores multimodal storytelling in the context of forced return movements to Ghana. How can participation based on people's modes of expression unfold in contexts of uncertainty? What are the opportunities and challenges of a collaboratively developed multi-sensory methodology?

Paper long abstract:

Based on ethnographic research conducted in 2023 and 2024 with Ghanaians on the move, who were forcibly returned to Ghana from Germany and labelled as 'returnees', this paper gives an insight into the multiplicity of participatory methods developed collaboratively in a context of uncertainty. It invests the question: What can participatory methodology look like when it thinks from the individual needs and preferences of research collaborators, especially when they face high social and economic uncertainty?

By describing the work with three research collaborators and their different ways of storytelling - through self-written texts, biographical photographs and self-made videos - I focus on the role of different senses within participatory research. Rather than pre-determined approaches, the engagement and modes of sharing stories and thus understanding people's experiences were discussed and developed within the encounters.

As I will show, the methodological openness to different modes of expression allows for engagement with sensitive issues and experiences of inequality in contexts of crisis. This approach links the question of how we know with what we know and highlights the importance of asking with whom we know. However, this attempt towards a decolonial approach to ethnographic research comes with its own challenges and remains in tension with a 'performative tokenism'.

Overall, this contribution is an invitation to reflect on what the approach of 'taking others seriously' (Ingold 2018) - and in particular, taking others' multimodal aspirations for collaboration seriously - can add to the discussion of participatory methodology in contexts of crisis.

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Paper short abstract:

This work will discuss the everydayness of disasters based on 18 months of ethnography fieldwork done in Assam to discuss how disaster studies use traditional methods that emerged from Western ontologies to study disasters that occurred in the global south.

Paper long abstract:

Flood and riverbank erosions have always been part of everyday lives for the riverine communities in Assam as more than 39.6% of the total area of Assam is ‘flood prone’ which is four times more than the national mark of 10.2%. And the river emerges not only as a ‘destroyer’ but also as a ‘creator’ hence, the riparian community have learned to manage, welcome them, and build a lifestyle concerning floods. They have learned to bear [episodic floods], not quite to cope with the extraordinary inundations, but to bend with them and rise again. Hence, remembering hazardous events is important to communities as memories of past disasters inform about the disaster historiography and impact on their environment. It also informs community knowledge and practices to cope and build back better. However, disaster studies use traditional methods to study disasters that emerged from Western ontologies in many ways these methodologies are used as restrictive tools in contextualizing the research and communities and often fail to fit local context. Hence, through this paper I attempt to use non-traditional ways (primarily lived experience through photos, folklore, songs, and stories) that were used to reflect and influences people or communities’ interpretation of risk, loss, response to disasters and what it is like to be living with disasters. Also, how the community through these creative methodologies in co-producing knowledge in everydayness of disasters, or speaking for themselves to discuss nuance in disasters risk reduction from the lens of power and powerless, landlessness and migration.

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Paper short abstract:

I draw on 12-months fieldwork with migrant advice groups to show the benefits of participatory method post-data-collection. Thinking about participatory methods helped to overcome “language barriers” with participants but also revealed complexities in that term that were key for analysis.

Paper long abstract:

Drawing on a 12-month ethnography of migrant advice groups in the UK, this paper explores the benefits of participatory methods post-data-collection. Specifically, I recount the difficulties of overcoming the “language barrier” between participants, advisors, and myself when trying to include them in participatory methods. Critical engagement with what it means to collaborate with participants in ethnography was, as expected, beneficial in overcoming this barrier and including participants in my methodology. However, it also led to the analytical revelation that the “language barrier” as conceived by advisors, was more simplistic than I first thought.

Too greater focus on participants’ linguistic identities in the pursuit of inclusion, for example, could just as easily reinforce token representations. When participants were defined near-exclusively as other-than-English speakers, advice groups ignore a) the collaborative and truncated nature of participants' communication abilities; and b) other linguistic barriers to help (e.g., misinformation, technical language, affective language). It was only by engaging with ideas of participatory methods that these key analytical themes were revealed.

By recounting these experiences, I hope to advocate for greater engagement with participatory methods for developing ethnographic research beyond the point of data collection.

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Paper short abstract:

This paper examines the knowledge-power nexus in participatory practices, analysing democratic innovations and participatory development in Global South and Global North contexts. Through four case studies, it explores how participatory approaches challenge or perpetuate knowledge hierarchies.

Paper long abstract:

This paper examines the relationship between knowledge and power in participatory practices, focusing on democratic innovations and participatory development approaches. Drawing on two distinct but interconnected literatures—democratic innovations, primarily rooted in governance practices of the Global North, and participatory development, centred on the Global South—this study explores the dynamics of knowledge hierarchies and their implications for power redistribution. By analysing four illustrative case studies, the paper critically examines how participatory practices engage with knowledge and power, highlighting both their transformative potential and their limitations.

The cases include democratic innovations in the UK and Kenya, where participatory governance often circulates knowledge but rarely disrupts entrenched power structures. Conversely, participatory development examples from India and co-creation practices in international development highlight efforts to centre local knowledge, while grappling with persistent power asymmetries. These examples reveal tensions between the inclusion of marginalised voices and the continued dominance of external expertise and institutional actors.

Through these cases, the paper investigates how participatory practices can challenge or reinforce knowledge hierarchies, questioning whether they truly transform governance and development processes or replicate existing inequalities. The analysis underscores the importance of distinguishing between ‘induced’ and ‘intrinsic’ participation, as well as the role of co-creation in fostering more equitable knowledge and power dynamics. Ultimately, the paper identifies key mechanisms and evidence gaps, offering insights for interdisciplinary learning and the design of participatory practices that genuinely redistribute power and agency.

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Paper short abstract:

This paper critiques participatory frameworks in the USAID's (2024) and the FCDO's (2022) inclusive development policies, using them as case studies to examine how International Development Agencies (IDAs) conceptualize and implement participation in disability-inclusive programming/policies.

Paper long abstract:

Participatory methodologies are instrumental for inclusive development in the age of interconnected global (poly)crises. However, the tension between meaningful collaboration and performative tokenism persists to challenge the implementation of participatory approaches. This paper critically investigates the participatory frameworks outlined in USAID's (2024) and FCDO's (2022) disability inclusion policies, and how it operationalizes participation.

Document analysis approach is used to evaluate how each policy incorporates participatory practices, engages underserved communities/voices, and taps into global frameworks such as the UNCRPD with local practices. Significantly, the focus is on mechanisms for collaboration with Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), as well as to the policies' alignment with decolonial principles. Main questions are: (1) How do disability-inclusive policies align local collaborations, equitable decision-making and priorities of donor-led agendas? (2) How can participatory methods be reimagined to address the polyscrises of our time in a decolonial and equitable manner?

Findings show that both policies endorse participatory approaches, however, systemic barriers and inequitable power structures remain detrimental to materialize their transformative potential; undermines localization and encounter challenges in contextual implementation in the Global South. The expected outcome of this analysis is to identify actionable recommendations for IDAs to move beyond tokenistic participation and toward more locally-situated development practices. This includes reimagining participatory practices as co-creative/co-designs and transformative tools for addressing polyscrises in an inclusive manner. In conclusion, this paper emphasizes the need for a paradigm shift in participatory development, one that facilitates local agency/positionality, decolonial epistemology, and sustainable solutions to global crises through a meaningful inclusion.

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Paper short abstract:

I examine the possibilities of applying citizens centred approaches in theatre workshops on climate crisis with young people, to empower them and produce citizens that may be steps ahead of the facilitator.

Paper long abstract:

I reflect on a participatory theatre workshop that I carried out in the Niger Delta of Nigeria, a place marked with a long history of climate crisis. I examine the possibilities of applying citizens centred approaches in theatre workshops on climate crisis with young people, to empower them and produce citizens that may be steps ahead of the facilitator. This implies participants’ taking the position of co-leaders in the workshop process. This position is against the backdrop of Maurya Wickstrom’s argument that “Theatre for Development cannot be the ignorant schoolmaster, or the artist who leaves the spectacle intact, because it cannot leave the spectators (the to-be-developed) on their own to… the theatre maker is always one step ahead of the student…always more ‘conscientisized’, more knowledgeable” (p. 104). Wickstrom poses how the facilitator must be well informed and ahead of the student. While I see value in Wickstrom position, I argue that the holistic participation of citizens in theatre workshops can produce participants that may be sometimes steps ahead of the facilitator, in terms of the capacity for knowledge production in the development process. I anchor my argument on Jacques Ranciere’s model of the ignorant schoolmaster, which emphasizes on the equality of knowledge production. Here, I suggest that adopting the approach of the ignorant facilitator creates the possibilities for participants to become co-leaders of the TfD process, ahead of the facilitator-development expert, and can allow for their voices to resound more profoundly in the process of development.

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Paper short abstract:

This study shares the experiences of the author’s collaborative research on disaster resilience in Cambodia with the local partners. It discusses the validity and limitations of ‘participatory methodologies’ without local funding in aid-dependent contexts.

Paper long abstract:

Now that localisation has become a fancy buzzword in the development field, the inclusion and participation of local actors have become central themes of development in the name of global justice. While the importance of local intermediary actors and their agency has been well documented, they tend to be unspecified, especially in aid activities, which often occur at crossroads with different levels of stakeholders. In addition, localisation practices have often focused more on how local people relate to and derive meaning from foreign (notably originating from the North) ideas, resulting in the term being identical to localising norms – or complying with global standards–rather than addressing the power imbalances between international and local actors.

Against this background, this study delivers reflections on the role and limitations of the local intermediary agents, from the perspectives of ‘localisation’ and ‘locally-led’ development. It is primarily based on key informants’ focused interviews with the local and managerial staff of an intermediary and implementing organization in a three-year global research collaboration in Cambodia. The main objective of the collaboration was to measure climate-driven disaster resilience across selected villages where the local office of an international NGO implemented a Korean aid-supported climate change adaptation project. While researchers from the North, with their research framework and tools, attempted to generate a meaningfully equal environment for research collaboration, we found realistic barriers and limitations for a non-hierarchical partnership in a unidirectional funding context. We conclude that good intentions cannot materialize without donors’ funding flexibility.