Paper short abstract:

This paper lays the contours of a decolonial approach to research on social protection with marginalized communities in Burkina Faso and Ethiopia. It reflexively engages with the question of whether and how this approach was able to shift power for epistemic justice.

Paper long abstract:

This paper is an analytical reflection on a social protection research carried out by an International NGO with marginalized communities in Burkina Faso and Ethiopia. The purpose of this research was to develop an evidence-based approach underpinned by African indigenous knowledge to social protection in fragile contexts which would inform the NGO’s future programming and advocacy work. This paper presents and reflects on the epistemological, methodological and ethical components of this research from a decolonial lens. The research involved the following components: i)a co-design phase with development practitioners located in Burkina Faso and Ethiopia, ii) an approach to literature review which extensively quoted and cited indigenous thinkers directly and generously, iii) the selection of communities was informed by a commitment to justice (In Burkina Faso the communities chosen were internally displaced people fleeing terrorist acts and adverse affects of climate change in their home localities, women accused of witchcraft and street children. In Ethiopia, the communities chosen were pastoral and agro-pastoral communities), iv) usage of participatory data collection methods, v) strategies of ‘reciprocity’ or giving back to the communities. The authors reflexively engage with the question of whether and how this research approach was able to shift power for epistemic justice. Hence, we reflect on whether the research was able to centralize indigenous voices and knowledges of communities and development practitioners from the local context whilst engaging in a process of reflection regarding our own positionality as key members of the research team.