Table 6 Power dynamics within C2C workshops
Dimensions of power | Description | Workshop structure and dynamics present |
|---|---|---|
Visible | Institutions, hierarchies and roles, observable conflict and disagreement, resources | We attempted to make researcher roles less visible through not introducing researchers as such at the beginning of some workshops, although this created some discomfort and confusion for some of the researcher-participants We tried to link resources to post-workshop activities, to enable development of future collaborative work. However, this had mixed success |
Hidden | Agenda-setting and decision-making processes | Initial themes came from different discussions including community organisations, young people, cross-sector priority setting groups, and University research themes. Public-participants reported an open and engaging conversation Our initial focus on activities attempted to move away from traditional meeting agenda approaches controlled by researchers. This worked well from public-participants’ perspectives, although less well from researcher perspectives |
Invisible | Usual practice, language, beliefs, attitudes, values and assumptions | Assumptions of how things would work were sometimes disrupted by artists and facilitators Researchers sometimes assumed that their research interests would be given airtime, but this was often less than they had expected or hoped for Researchers and public-participants tended to value different aspects of the workshops |