Research and knowledge exchange: notes from South Asian neighbourhoods
This publication underlines that the delivery of excellent and ethically centred knowledge exchange and research collaborations with a wide range of partners, draws on an extraordinarily wide range of skills, competencies, and resources. We need to be careful and supportive of the people leading this work, as well as our collaborative partners. This is particularly true if we want to support those with a wide range of lived experiences stepping into leadership roles within Cultural Knowledge Exchange. National Centre for Arts and Cultural Exchange aims to provide some of this support through our networks and workshops, but there is certainly more to be done by all of us to develop a more diverse, equitable and inclusive cohort of KE leaders.
This publication brings together a series of commissioned essays from a range of researchers, artists and cultural practitioners who are placing ethics at the heart of their work. It signposts to a wide range of existing cross sector resources, tool kits and further reading for those who are interested in embedding ethics into their knowledge exchange practice.
Key findings
- The nature of knowledge generated by this research, in this context, is characterized by its non- static, tacit, dynamic, and context-responsive attributes. The learning process is circular and seamless, facilitated by the democratic structure of the project, where equitability stands as a key principle. This setup enables a fluidity in leadership requirements, allowing for agile shifts in response to the needs of the moment — a core aspect that good research aspires to.
- Capturing this knowledge, which is continually evolving, adapting, utilized, discarded, shared, replicated, or reflected upon by the participants, is essential. However, this capturing is determined by audiences, and reporting needs, breaking the organic flow in which it is produced. These knowledge products, created through the research in seven languages, effectively address various global challenges such as inequity, marginalisation, discrimination, and erasure, spanning sustainable development goals related to poverty, gender, partnerships, and just and peaceful societies. It assumes different forms, changes in meaning, and is presented as ideas, all while serving as a catalyst for income generation for women.
- As both researchers and practitioners, we recognize the compelling need to break down barriers, foster resolution, and construct bridges between subjects and disciplines.
- The time has come to transcend conventional categorizations of knowledge and endorse all endeavours that contribute to the creation of transformative solutions. It is through these innovative approaches that we can truly reshape our communities and the world at large.
- Commercialisation of creative research does not have a sustainable model for scaling up impact outside of the standard research project/grant approach.
Recommendations
Interdisciplinary research allows the addressing of global challenges in a systematic, sustainable, and equitable manner and should be supported. Interdisciplinary research publishing should be supported and encouraged. There is a need for sustainability and scale to be built innovatively for successful research outcomes within the arts and humanities disciplines?
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