The Methodological and Epistemological Stakes of Merging of Knowledge Between People in Poverty, Practitioners and Researchers
Based on ÉQUIsanTE (EQUIhealthY)- a blended participatory and merging of knowledge research conducted by health researchers, people living in poverty and health professionals in Montreal, this article explores some of the theoretical, epistemological and ethical issues raised by this alternative mode of knowledge production. Some of the most discussed methodological issues include partial non-mixity and the “bridge”, that is, the status and role of the movement ATD Fourth World’s volunteers involved with people living in poverty. On the epistemological level, the scope of such approach of knowledge production and its effects on emancipation has been analyzed. The article contributes to the scientific debate on what might be called a post-poverty epistemology, echoing feminist and post-colonialist epistemologies.