How can academics reach publics in meaningful ways, when their professional situatedness limits their manoeuvrability and perceived integrity in that space?

Speaker(s):

Dr. Holly-Gale Millette, University of Southampton

Abstract:

Can we talk? My institution's ethics form begins at 19 pages + 4 lengthy addendums... Yours? And getting approval is a minefield: “How are you going to protect the data if your subjects are leading the workshop/discussion/interview/”; “They may not view themselves as vulnerable, but you need to consider them this way”, and so forth. Do you, as I do, need to prove the worth of distrustful and damaged publics, half-way through an incomplete project (that may not even happen!) to secure future funding for its continuation? True, UKRI is now interested in ‘collaboration’, ‘innovation’ and ‘creative communities. But how do we involve publics meaningfully in research, when it may not feel appropriate for us to even be in the room? So, grab a coffee, check your privilege, and let’s have a kitchen-table style discussion on our bug bears, our creative research methods, and our workarounds when we meet our publics where they are. Maybe we can make something (a network, a toolkit, a failsafe, etc.) to buoy us!