How ‘co’ can you go? A qualitative inquiry on the key principles of co-creative research and their enactment in real-life practices

ABSTRACT

This paper aims to gain a better understanding of co-creative research key principles and their enactment in real-life practices. The study is based on interviews and a focus group with academic researchers and professionals (n = 16) involved in eight co-creative research projects funded by the Brussels Regional Institute for Research and Innovation (Innoviris). The study demonstrates the tension between respondents’ understanding of the key principles of co-creative research (e.g. a transformative aim, considering the community as actors, shared ownership, valuing experiential knowledge) and the power issues they face related to a ‘project-funding’ and ‘academic research’ logic when enacting those principles in real-life practices. This paper concludes that although dealing with power relations is inherent in co-creative research, power imbalances should be questioned on the level of (1) the linear, limited and inflexible nature of ‘project-funding’ logics and (2) the exclusive character of research methods, settings and institutions in ‘academic research’ logics. Finally, introducing a political and emancipatory dimension in co-creative research can contribute to reducing the gap between principles and their enactment in real-life practices.

KEYWORDS:

• Co-creative research
• co-creation
• barriers
• power
• research participation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was financed by the Innoviris Co-Create program as a part of the MaN’Aige project.

Notes on contributors

Octavia Kint

Octavia Kint obtained a PhD in Adult Educational Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and is part of the Society and Ageing Research Lab.

Daan Duppen

Daan Duppen is postdoctoral researcher in the Society and Ageing Research Lab.

Geert Vandermeersche

Geert Vandermeersche is an assistant professor (tenure track) in the department of Educational Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), where he teaches courses on culture and arts education, and youth culture. He researches how digital transformations affect the pedagogy and participation in diverse settings for culture and arts education.

An-Sofie Smetcoren

An-Sofie Smetcoren is an assistant professor and postdoctoral researcher in the department of Educational Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). She is co-director of the Society and Ageing Research Lab.

Liesbeth De Donder

Liesbeth De Donder is professor Adult Educational Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and director of the Society and Ageing Research Lab. Her research interests are care and caring neighbourhoods, social participation and exclusion, all with a particular interest for participatory research methodologies.