Writing with research partners ‘from the field’: Plural knowledges and epistemic justice in qualitative research

Despite longstanding calls for more inclusive geographical research and the increasing adoption of participatory research designs, our non-academic research partners ‘from the field’ continue to be excluded from a central aspect of knowledge production: academic writing and publishing. This exclusion is not only an epistemological issue of limited knowledge perspectives but also an ethical problem of epistemic injustice (Fricker, 2007). While participatory research has fostered collaboration in data collection and analysis, academic writing remains largely restricted to scholars, perpetuating traditional power asymmetries in knowledge dissemination. Drawing from an interdisciplinary literature review and personal experience with collaborative writing, I argue that co-authoring with non-academic research partners can enrich academic knowledge production by incorporating plural knowledges while simultaneously challenging academic gatekeeping. However, writing with non-academic partners is not a straightforward process; it necessitates transforming the ineluctable position of the academic as a gatekeeper into that of a mediator in the co-production of knowledge. Based on leading examples, I outline a structured approach to developing meaningful writing partnerships, focusing on three key strategies: (1) creating a writing relationship and negotiating positionality; (2) investing time, respecting different urgencies, and sharing resources; and (3) finding a common language, breaking conventions, and challenging academic standards. By embracing these strategies, we can take steps towards a more inclusive and multi-voiced geography that actively redistributes epistemic authority.