Marginalised Youth Activism: Peer-Engaged Research and Epistemic Justice

Marginalised peoples, especially marginalised youth, are among those least able to exercise their rights to participate in processes of social change that affect them, to be heard and understood, to be accepted as authentic knowers and to share in the co-creation of political awareness and social knowledge, a condition Miranda Fricker has labelled epistemic injustice. Yet, in many societies, youth are uniting to demand to be heard and to claim their right to participate in the creation of political and social change at home and globally. Based on 25 interviews in 10 countries, we examine the experience of marginalised youth activists as it relates to epistemic injustice. Next, we canvas the capabilities needed for epistemic justice in activism. We then discuss both the processes we undertook to identify and connect with young activists and the unexpected learning we derived from this endeavour as well as the potential of peer-engaged research (PER) in reducing epistemic injustice in scholarship. This leads us to udentify six capabilities important for peer researchers. We conclude by making the case that PER has the potential to be a valuable tool for enhancing the work of grassroots activists as well as the authenticity of university-based research.