NN41, December 2008
The New Politics of Partnership: Peril or Promise?
North-South Research Partnerships: A Personal Viewpoint
By Noel McGinn, Formerly NORRAG President, and Harvard University
Email: nmcginn@igc.orgKeywords
Research partnership, North-South
Summary
This article reflects on several features of North-South research partnerships, noting that the very features that make such collaboration so rewarding are also those that make it difficult.
The very features that make North-South research collaboration so rewarding are also those that make it difficult, and therefore not common. The valuable differences in the knowledge and insights of colleagues in different societies too often result from unwanted differences in material conditions of living and education that impede forming a relationship characterized by a free and equal exchange of ideas. Language diversity supports a wide range of nuances in conceptualization, but also impedes communication.
In addition, however, there are institutional impediments. Many universities in the North place less value on collaborative research published in another language and on some other country?s problems. Researchers are discouraged from travel that absents them from their campus. Each institution demands the attention of its members, and disparage strong relationships outside their boundaries. Funding agencies often want research tailored to specifications that do not match the interests of a receiving country. National politicians have short time horizons while academic standards for research lengthen time to completion.
Through a providential set of circumstances beyond my control I suffered less from these constraints than many of my contemporaries. I was trained to a high level of expertise in social science research methods at a time when there was a high unsatisfied demand. My position in the university encouraged research in the South; for a number of years funding with few restrictions was relatively easy to obtain. Over 30 years I worked with colleagues in each of the major continents except Oceania. I acquired a high level of fluency in one major language of the South, which sensitized me to the difference between translation and interpretation.
Despite these privileges, however, I can count only four instances in which I was a partner in a genuine collaborative North-South relationship. One of these relationships continues today; the others, unfortunately, have ended. Each of these relationships developed in a country in which I lived with my family for a year or more. This time was important because the full benefits of collaboration are achieved when the partners trust each other enough to challenge each others? values and insights. That level of trust is built up over time. I made good friends in a number of countries, but on return to my university promises to work together were set aside to handle immediate demands on my time.
A critical task in each of the relationships was joint writing about the research. The products included reports to clients, journal articles, and books. Spoken communication across cultures is difficult enough; collaborative writing requires constructing new, shared metaphors, and often threatens the relationship. Writing takes time, especially if the partners seek to discover something new in each other?s thinking.
Even successful partnerships can end if the partners? institutions increase their demands for attention. Pressures may be greatest for younger partners who must struggle to make their place in their institution. Fortunately for me at each stage in my career I was paired with persons at a similar stage in their professional (and personal) lives. Given enough time, the relationships that developed were immensely important in my development; I learned a great deal from my colleagues, from what they gave me and in the process of sharing my knowledge with them. With time, the differences between us that impeded initial communication and trust became an enormous benefit.
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