Although institutions in the Global North have awoken to the need for local and contextualized knowledge in research, less is understood—or operationalized—about the risks associated with the lopsided conditions under which local partners must operate in the field. How conflict is understood is strongly influenced by how conflict research is produced.
On Monday 10 June, the Rift Valley Forum hosted a panel discussion to disseminate findings from a Rift Valley Institute (RVI) project on research collaboration, in partnership with the Congolese research institute, Groupe d’Etudes sur les Conflits et la Sécurité Humaine (GEC-SH) and funded by the Knowledge Management Fund of KPSRL. The project examines the political economy of knowledge production and its impact on the security of researchers in conflict-affected settings and in turn, the quality of the research that is produced.
The panellists examined the current conversation on research collaboration, ethics and decolonizing knowledge, and share insights from their experiences working on collaborative projects. The presentations were followed by a Q&A period. The event was in English and French with simultaneous translation.
Panellists
Dr Yolande Bouka
Visiting Professor, Elliot School of International Affairs
Professor Godefroid Muzalia
Director, Groupe d’Etudes sur les Conflits et Sécurité Humaine (GEC-SH)
Irène Bahati
Researcher, Groupe d’Etudes sur les Conflits et Sécurité Humaine (GEC-SH)
Elisée Cirhuza
Researcher, Groupe d’Etudes sur les Conflits et Sécurité Humaine (GEC-SH)
Moderator
Connor Clerke
Rift Valley Institute
