Organizers:
Sophia Thubauville, Frobenius Institute, Frankfurt, Germany
Judit Tavakoli, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
Qualitative research and knowledge production rarely occur in isolation. Relationships and interactions lie at the heart of both qualitative research and long-term projects. The relationships that researchers build during their studies, as well as the relationships they already have, affect their research outcomes. In the evolving landscape of academia, the concept of ‘accompanied research’ offers a compelling framework through which to engage with research ethics, methodology and teaching. To date, this rich field has been approached in a fragmented manner, focusing primarily on US and European researchers conducting long-term research on other continents (Butler and Turner 1987, Cassell 1987, Flinn et al 1998, Cornet and Blumenfield 1016, Braukmann et al 2020). However, important groups, such as researchers from the Global South, have been overlooked in the discussion.
Our aim is to explore the role of family ties, family status, and family collaborations in research carried out by African researchers in African Studies. By doing so, we aim to promote discussion about knowledge production in settings where researchers conduct research with family members, as well as with places, institutions, and individuals with whom they are connected through familial relationships.
We are currently preparing a handbook on accompanied research for publication by Springer Verlag. The existing literature, as well as the articles in our handbook, are mostly written from a US or European perspective. We are therefore seeking African perspectives on the topic, particularly focusing on the relevance of family ties and accompanied research.
We will present a paper on the literature on this topic and our forthcoming handbook.
Please send a title, abstract (200 words), and a cv to thubauville@em.uni-frankfurt.de by end of day March 8, 2026.
Accompanied Research in African Studies
