Germany (Deutschland)
Giessen
Community Voices in Academic Spaces: Seminars
and conferences
Theresa Martens
Projects between community researchers and academics have become more prevalent
among German research institutions. Although research teams collaboratively develop
knowledge, research partners from outside the academic realm rarely gain access to
academic spaces such as seminars, publications or conferences. The German SMAPL
team has made efforts to alter this trend. Our project aims to co-design academic formats and foster power-critical dialogues on eye-level between students and both academic and community researchers (Falge 2021).
We organized three seminars to deepen our understanding of various topics. The first,
entitled “Media Ethnographic Community Perspectives on the COVID-19 Pandemic,” took
place at the University of Applied Health Science in Bochum, where students and community researchers jointly explored a counter-hegemonic community perspective on the pandemic’s impact through media projects. These projects, which utilized ethnographic methods, can be streamed here.
Two additional seminars were conducted at the University of Giessen, focusing on urban health injustice and participatory research. Here, medical students and community researchers came together for a weekend at a local community center in Giessen, exchanging knowledge and experiences that significantly enhanced the students’ medical education. One medical student reflected:
“In the weeks following the seminar, I noticed how profound the insights from that weekend were for me. Due to an understanding of social determinants in relation to health and conversations with patients during subsequent internships in hospitals and medical practices, I could see the significant role all these aspects play in the healthcare system. I realized that language barriers occur daily in hospitals, that living conditions must be considered during patient history taking, and that determinants such as stress, discrimination, and gender differences can lead to health impairments. I feel that this seminar has lastingly influenced my approach to health issues, and in the future, in my work as a doctor, not only medical treatment but also social determinants should be taken into account.”
(Quote from a medical student who attended the ‘Health and Social
Environment’ seminar at the University of Giessen in 2024)
Community researchers from Bochum and Giessen also shared their research findings at Germany’s largest public health conference, “Poverty and Health” that took place in March 2024. Their presentations provided a rare community-led perspective on the pandemic’s effects, enriching the academic dialogue and offering attendees a unique firsthand understanding of community impacts. This event also provided an excellent opportunity for the community researchers to network across the two cities, enhancing their collaborative efforts before and after the session.
Challenges in creating collaborative spaces
Organizing such research initiatives in Germany nevertheless presents considerable
challenges. We faced resource constraints, making it difficult to fully engage non academic participants. For instance, at the conference, the lack of childcare facilities posed a significant challenge, as it forced some community researchers to manage their caregiving responsibilities alongside their participation in the event. Insufficient funding to support the continuous involvement of community members in academic events, along with the extra organizational effort required, is frequently overlooked by funders and academics. Furthermore, collaborating with university students and community members necessitates a re-evaluation of traditional teaching methods to effectively integrate diverse groups from varying backgrounds. This includes extending teaching beyond university settings, providing childcare, and enhancing student engagement with community researchers.
Creating academic spaces where community and academic researchers as well as
students can openly exchange ideas and outcomes is essential. This interaction enriches
the learning experience for both students in academic seminars, as well as academic and community researcher, allowing them to gain insights directly from the communities, while also offering those in the communities a deeper understanding of academic processes. Moving forward, the German team is committed to addressing these challenges, striving to foster a more inclusive and supportive environment for collaborative research and teaching. Our commitment to progressive change and inclusivity is set to enrich both the academic and practical realms, driving forward new ways for innovative methods of knowledge creation and distribution.
Falge, C. (2021). Medizinethnologie im Anwendungskontext: theoretische und methodische Orientierungen im Stadtteillabor Bochum In J. Spallek & H. Zeeb (Eds.), Migration und Gesundheit (pp. 397-405). Hogrefe Verlag.
