Between research and community development: negotiating a contested space for collaboration and creativity

Sarah Banks*, Andrea Armstrong, Anne Bonner, Yvonne Hall, Patrick Harman, Luke Johnston, Clare Levi, Kath Smith, Ruth Taylor

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterAcademic

Abstract

This chapter explores the interface between co-produced research and community development, drawing on work undertaken in North East England as part of the Imagine project. Discussion of the process and outcomes of Imagine North East provides fruitful material for contributing to perennial debates about whether certain forms of co-produced research (especially participatory action research) are, in fact, indistinguishable from community development. In this chapter we offer a brief overview of the work of Imagine North East before outlining the debates about the relationship between co-production and community development. We then examine three elements of Imagine North East: (1) an academic-led study of community development from the 1970s to the present; (2) a series of community development projects undertaken by local community-based organisations; and (3) a joint process of reflection and co-inquiry. We consider the role of co-produced research in challenging stigma, celebrating place and developing skills and community networks, and also the challenges of a co-inquiry approach.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationCo-producing research: a community development approach
Place of PublicationBristol, UK
PublisherPolicy Press
Chapter2
Pages21-48
ISBN (Print)978-1447340768
Publication statusPublished - 2018
Externally publishedYes

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