Abstract
Community–university research partnerships (CURPs) comprise a diverse group of stakeholders who share differing capabilities and diverse insights into the same issues, and they are widely regarded as valuable to navigate the best course of action. Partnering as co-researchers is core to nurturing these partnerships, but it requires careful navigation of complexities. The different insider and outsider positionalities occupied by co-researchers highlight experiences of ‘walking on the edges’ of each other’s worlds. This not only challenges these collaborations, but also enables a depth of understanding that may not be achieved in CURPs where the luxury of, or effort in, building a team of co-researchers to collect, analyse and write up data is not present. This article focuses on learning strategies to advance the co-researching capacities of CURPs where stakeholders occupy divergent positions. The focus will be on lessons from a co-researching partnership comprising a university-affiliated academic researcher, a local Kenyan non-governmental organization (NGO) and members of a community in which the NGO worked. We argue that applying selected learning strategies may facilitate positive experiences of edge walking and enhance the meaningful two-way sharing required for cross-cultural CURPs. It is recommended that community and university research partners examine the utility of these learning strategies for strengthening co-researching in CURP contexts.
Highlights
Partners in research must navigate tricky tensions when building cohesion and understanding of each other’s divergent positions
Strategies for shaping strong relationships among members of Community–university research partnerships (CURPs) are limited, and existing information on research teams is centred on loose principles for practice
We considered our CURP project in Kenya as an excellent case for reflections on the strategies that emerged and for contributing new insights into existing knowledge on learning strategies
Summary
Partners in research must navigate tricky tensions when building cohesion and understanding of each other’s divergent positions. In the context of CURPs, the authors define edge walkers as partners who may hold different ethnic, social, educational, cultural, spiritual or political positionalities, but who are able to traverse multiple positions along the insider–outsider continuum, as a result of effective capacity-building experiences within their diverse partnership. The main goal of this learning strategy is to build on the strengths of each individual and the knowledge they bring, to give their fellow co-researchers a deeper insight into a specific topic This was accomplished through short sessions focused on specific themes, such as: the tribal relationships or normative behaviours we might encounter and the practices of respect to uphold; how to describe the project when inviting the larger community to participate; confidence in speaking and interviewing; and appropriate language use when talking about sensitive topics. Lenette and colleagues (2019) noted secondary transformations – those that are nonspecific to the original research outcomes (such as confidence in facilitation) – as being common in participatory work
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
