Critical educational ethnography as a methodological framing for fostering reciprocity in cross-cultural research.

Keywords: community geography, knowledge co-creation, critical ethnography, member reflections
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Friday
Session Start / End Time: 2/25/2022 09:40 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/25/2022 11:00 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 52

Abstract

Smith (1999) identified research as, “a significant site of struggle between the interests and ways of knowing of the West and the interests and ways of resisting of the Other” (p. 2). As a contribution to furthering community geography praxis that creates mutually beneficial research, the methodology of a case study of Campesino-a-Campesino learning networks in Southern Mexico will be presented. The paper will explore how critical educational ethnography (Howard & Ali, 2016) as a methodological framing encouraged a partnership of reciprocity between a white PhD student from Canada and the facilitating community organization Fondo para la Paz (FPP). The paper will discuss how a reciprocal research agreement was made that focused on translating research into products that were used to support the work of community partners. Particular attention will be paid to the methodological tool of member reflections (Tracy, 2010) which allowed for collaboration and knowledge co-production. As an illustrative example, work will be presented that was co-created within this partnership and used by FPP to gain financial support to expand their work to new communities in the region. The ways in which praxis influenced the development of the case study will be discussed, as well as challenges, limitations, and recommendations for future research.