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SEI brief

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Shifting power through climate research

This brief discusses ways that researchers can help shift imbalances in Global North-South power relationships through the processes that underpin their climate and environment research projects.

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Citation

Daszkiewicz, C., Shawoo, Z, Nazareth, A., Coleoni, C., Kwamboka, E., Ghosh, E., Han, J. Y.-C., Inga, K., Tran, M. and Diaz-Chavez, R. A. (2022). Shifting power through climate research: applying decolonial methodologies. SEI brief. Stockholm Environment Institute, Stockholm. http://doi.org/10.51414/sei2021.028

This discussion brief aims to provide insights into ways that individual researchers can aim to shift rather than reinforce unequal power relations in climate and environment research that disadvantage marginalized communities and the Global South. It seeks to launch wider discussions and actions on the subject to rectify colonial-era legacies that continue to affect power dynamics, detrimentally skewing research and its uptake.

The authors focus on climate change research, but the ideas put forward apply to scientific practices on other subjects. The authors draw on the longstanding literature on decolonialism to discuss how power dynamics affect research practices. They draw on aspects of knowledge co-production processes to present practical ways that researchers can challenge existing practices in the design and implementation of projects, and in the dissemination of findings.

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SEI authors

Zoha Shawoo
Zoha Shawoo

Scientist

SEI US

Anisha Nazareth
Anisha Nazareth

Associate Scientist

SEI US

Cláudia Coleoni

Research Associate

SEI Latin America

2018 portrait of Emily Ghosh
Emily Ghosh

Scientist

SEI US

Katarina Inga
Katarina Inga

Research Associate

SEI Headquarters

Profile picture of Minh Tran
Minh Tran

Research Fellow

SEI Asia

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