Syeed, E., Kumar, M. M., Lowe, N., Moran, D., & Rucobo, K. (2020). Getting uncomfortable with difficult knowledge: A reflexive account of a community-based research project. Collaborations: A Journal of Community-based Research and Practice, 3(1), 3. DOI: http://doi.org/10.33596/coll.44
Community-Based Research Project Overview:
Collaboration with local nonprofit focusing on social justice camps for high school youth.
Utilized interviews and focus groups with former participants to understand long-term impacts.
Explored struggles in developing critical consciousness and engaging with difficult knowledge.
Student Research Collective:
Comprised four students from diverse backgrounds, religions, ethnicities, and sexual orientations.
Aimed to delve into the differences between service learning and community-based research.
Challenges in Service Learning:
Traditionally privileged perspectives dominate service learning experiences.
Concerns about reinforcing deficit notions and unacknowledged power and privilege dynamics.
Differentiating between community-based learning and service learning, emphasizing the former.
Research Process:
Developed a toolkit for campus stakeholders to create research projects with local organizations.
Conducted member checking and think-out-loud sessions with organizational staff.
Employed focus groups and interviews to gather camper experiences and feedback.
Difficult Knowledge Framework:
Examined the concept of difficult knowledge intersecting with camper experiences.
Defined difficult knowledge as traumatic social events represented in the curriculum.
Explored the emotional impact of engaging with difficult knowledge for students and educators.
Reflexivity and Positionality:
Situated the identity and reflexivity of student researchers within the research process.
Advocated for embracing uncomfortable reflexivity to challenge power dynamics and address difficult knowledge.
Shared lessons on managing emotional labor and supporting students coping with difficult knowledge.
Student Researchers' Reflections:
Student researchers reflected on their motivations for engaging in sociology.
Wrestled with feelings of marginality and de-colonization, contemplating pathways for social change.
Explored solidarity and connection with the organization and participants, addressing power imbalances.
Guidance for Student Researchers:
Encouraged nonlinear paths of reflection and analysis, embracing discomfort as part of the journey.
Advocated for mentorship and creating inclusive spaces within research teams.
Emphasized the importance of critical reflection while avoiding being consumed by challenges.