Hi, and sorry that I’ve been absent for quite a while! I just came across this article on equitable cross-cultural research, aimed at anthropologists and cross-cultural psychologists but very relevant for us linguists too. The basic message, as I understand it, is that ethical relationships with the local communities in lower-income countries where researchers from higher income countries do fieldwork are not really enough – we should also be helping to build research infrastructure, career opportunities, and capacity in those countries by working with national institutions and engaging in meaningful collaboration.
In closing, we emphasize that the ultimate goal is not merely to more fully recognize LMIC researchers as collaborative partners, but to enable equal opportunity for leadership rather than simply participation in cross-cultural social science.
I’d love to have a discussion about this and what we as linguists can do – a lot of this is not just at the level of individual researchers and projects but campaigning to change structures for funding etc. Coordinating with each other as a discipline will have a much bigger impact than just trying to do things as individuals and/or putting additional expectations on researchers without support. I’d love to hear what you all think!