Rethinking research practices from the Global South

Abstract

Contemporary debates are increasingly focused on dealing with crises that span many systems and sectors. These crises have transformed the process of doing research itself, impacting research funding, the type of research being done, and the subjects of our research. They have led to re-thinking and re-evaluating the value and aims of research. As social scientists, it is nearly impossible to isolate our work from the impacts of these. As researchers at knowledge-based institutions, these crises have increasingly shaped the nature of our work. Through this intervention, I argue for a need to invest in developing systems and processes, particularly for institutions based in the Global South, that build resilience within such institutions to be able to deal with crises as they emerge. I offer suggestions and approaches from my own context in India on how, as researchers based in the Global South, we can begin to think about long-term, systemic approaches to responding to these challenges.