The 2009 conference is hosted by The Science Shop, Queen's University Belfast

New Directions in Community Based Research

Effective work with communities – in engagement, capacity building, and research – hinges upon the strategic use(s) of knowledge and evidence.  In Community Based Research (CBR) there is an ongoing struggle between practical application and conceptual integrity.  This tension plays out in marked ways between ‘capacity building’, ‘participatory methods’, and the interpretation of evidence as it is used to affect social change(s).  While researchers and practitioners alike refer to widely accepted principles of CBR, including the core idea of equitable partnerships, the value of ‘lived experience’ and the critical need for community involvement ‘from the bottom up’, problematically, processes have at times garnered more attention than the goals of the work itself. 

Questions remain about the assumptions that underscore CBR in practice.   Whose observations give shape to research questions and practices?  How are the insights and expertise that come with ‘lived experience’ incorporated into research?  Do they actively inform the analysis and interpretation of research findings?  And finally, perhaps most pointedly, in a climate where researchers are called upon to demonstrate more tangible indicators of success, and more concrete illustrations of political influence and social change, how can we ensure that CBR is both responsive and relevant?  As we consider the relevance of CBR in a climate of ‘evidence-based research’, has the process of CBR become a goal in itself, rather than a tool for community action and social change?

In seeking to appraise the current state of CBR, we touch upon some of these challenges as they relate to three core ideas underscoring CBR:  the strength and nature of collaborations and partnerships; the use of participatory methods; and the nature of evidence, outcomes and impacts related to CBR.  How these are enacted in current practice provides critical insights into the conceptual and practical limitations of CBR, and lays out the groundwork for new directions.

Theme: Critical reflections on community engagement in the natural sciences, technology and innovation

Presenters Name: Dr. Brenda Roche

Presenters Institution: Wellesley Institute

Presenters Biography:

Brenda Roche, PhD, is Director of Research at the Wellesley Institute, an independent non-profit research and policy institute working to advance health equity through community-based research, community engagement, social innovation and policy development.  Trained in medical anthropology and public health, her research experience includes community-based research on social and health issues in urban settings, such as homelessness, sexual health, violence and psychological trauma.

Dr Roche’s doctorate, through the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, examined discourses on trauma that operate within the context of refugee resettlement, and how these influence health and social care practices for women (and their families) seeking political asylum in the United Kingdom.  Her current work with the Wellesley Institute focuses upon practical and theoretical issues in community-based research.