Modelling Inclusion: Using Participatory Methods for Equitable Research on Inequalities in Marginalized Groups

This paper explores the methodological implications, processes, and opportunities relating to the use of participatory approaches in the study of intersecting inequalities. Within the context of an international, interdisciplinary project (Partnerships for Equality and Inclusion (PEI)), four sub-projects elected to use participatory methodologies to engage with marginalized and excluded communities so that their needs, voices, and knowledge were included in the data collection process and the dissemination of findings at micro (community) and macro (policy) levels. The four project teams in Kenya, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Nigeria engaged with training and research processes so that participants with lived experience could contribute both as peer researchers and in focus groups that contributed study data. In this paper, we bring together the findings and learning from each project about how these methods contributed to equity in the research process. We conclude with insights and recommendations on how participatory methods can enable an intersectional and grounded perspective from people facing multiple inequalities in periods of crisis and political change.