Submission ID 131736
| Issue/Objective | Global health stands at a crossroads, as the dissonance between its vision for equity and the reproduction of colonial dynamics is difficult to ignore. The decolonizing movement argues that systems of oppression, including colonialism and ongoing coloniality, are major threats to health equity. In my doctoral research, I used (de)coloniality theory to guide my approach at the structural, epistemic, personal, and relational levels. Yet, my fieldwork in Dhaka made me question whether decolonizing research is possible within the constraints of a PhD. In this presentation, I reflect on how my positionality shaped power asymmetries with partners and communities in Dhaka, despite my attempts to engage in decolonizing work. |
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| Methodology/Approach | My research aimed to understand factors influencing community participation in global health research in LMICs, using dengue research in Dhaka as a case study. In partnership with local researchers, I worked with four Dhaka communities over four months. Adopting a participatory approach, I engaged community members, leaders, and health workers in fuzzy cognitive mapping to identify barriers and enablers to participation based on experiential knowledge. Participants subsequently interpreted results during deliberative dialogues, collaboratively developing recommendations for engaging communities in an upcoming dengue study. |
| Results | My positionality as a white woman doctoral researcher influenced my relationships with Dhaka researchers and participants. A key lesson is that institutional and sociopolitical contexts hindered adoption of a decolonizing approach. While local partners contributed to contextual adaptation, doctoral expectations meant I had greater control over resources, methodology, timelines, and deliverables. Research partners' heavy workloads, political instability, and geographical distance reduced time spent in communities, hindering trust-building and power sharing. Despite repeated engagement with community actors, my outsider identity created expectations about my ability to engender change, raising ethical concerns about informed consent and local benefits. |
| Discussion/Conclusion | Embedded within the reflexive turn in global health, my experience shows that partnered and participatory approaches alone are insufficient for decolonizing practice. Systemic barriers within academia - such as North/South power imbalances, funding constraints, short timeframes, and productivity expectations - make it difficult for doctoral researchers to meaningfully share power with LMIC communities. This risks reproducing the inequalities global health seeks to dismantle. |
| Presenters and Affiliations | Marie-Catherine Gagnon-Dufresne École de santé publique, Université de Montréal Protyasha Ghosh James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University Mizanur Rahman James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University Mir Mahamudul Hasan James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University Sarah Cooper École de santé publique, Université de Montréal Neil Andersson Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University Kate Zinszer École de santé publique, Université de Montréal |
