Co-creation has been a buzz word in STS and qualitative methods for a long time. It can indicate something which is trivially true: that any qualitative enquiry is created from the interaction between the researcher and the participants. Or it can be used as a more radical claim to participatory methods: asking for a stronger kind of collaboration, involvement, and contribution from the people or groups whom we want to understand. In recent attempts to decolonise and resist established power-relations it also signals an emphasis on giving due acknowledgement to all parties involved in knowledge production. Co-creation is thus a term that shows up across STS research, and which remains both centra, contested, and ambiguous.
Breaking open the question of methods and our relation to our participants and collaborators, we will go on a walk to Grantchester and have conversations about big or small questions that arise when we think about co-creation: Who are your co-creators? What is the difference between a collaborator and a participant (if there is one)? What do you do when parties disagree with each-other? How do you choose who to involve, and who to leave out? What do you do practically and what ideas have you been thinking about exploring – which standards do you use (which journals do you publish in? What do you and your co-creators count as success?), what procedures (how do you initiate the collaboration? Who moves it along? How does it end? Does it ever end?), which programmes and materials (googledoc? Teams? Whiteboards? Post-it notes?)?
The outing is modelled on Annemarie Mol’s Walking seminars, aiming to bring out questions and ideas that may need movement and air to get us out of our habitual thought, or conversations on topics which are perhaps to manifold or too vibrant to be addressed head on, and do better in the fluid space of group walks.
The seminar is facilitated by Helene Scott-Fordsmand and Valeria Ramirez.
We will meet outside The Mill (14 Mill Lane, CB2 1RX) and walk towards Grantchester. We'll wrap up the seminar at The Orchard around 3pm. From there, walkers can choose to linger, stroll back together, each at their own pace, catch the bus or whatever fits best.
