Friends don’t let friends theorize alone

Epistemische Nähe als Erkenntnisweg in partizipativer Forschung

Abstract

This article deals with questions and methods related to participatory research as an approach that works with people, who are affected by the research topic and whose knowledge, experiences and wisdom form the groundwork of social science. The participatory approach, like the relational approach, in which researchers conduct research together with acquaintances or friends, can counteract epistemic hierarchies. The authors identify as Mad researchers with lived experiences and are therefore insiders within the field and social outsiders because of sanist discrimination. Positioned research with acquaintances or friends means walking a tightrope when it comes to questions of proximity, trust, methodological reflexivity, ethical issues and the danger of romanticizing ideas, while it welcomes perspectives and experiences which would not have been told without emotional closeness and shared experiences. This article discusses the advantages and challenges that these approaches entail and tells of findings from a research project that confronted epistemic violence and proclaimed a Mad epistemology.