Situating positionality and power in CBPR conducted with a refugee community: Benefits of a co-learning reflective model

Reflexivity, an important component of qualitative inquiry generally, gains additional significance in community-based participatory research (CBPR). The varying partnerships among researchers, community partners, and community members are strengthened when a co – learning, reflective model is applied. The use of reflective field notes can be a powerful tool to help achieve this end. In this article, we describe the dynamics of community-engaged research team where members applied a co-learning model to reflect upon their positionality in the community and in research. Using reflective field notes examined through a narrative approach to the PI’s time in the field, we assess these positionalities through the relationships between CBPR work and power relations. The reflective practice embedded in the CBPR process brought these power relations to our attention. We then turned to the literature on power relations to better understand what was occurring in the study. The current case details the additional complexity that occurs when issues of language, translation, gender, and culture are introduced. Thus, this paper is a reflective analysis of a bilingual researcher’s experience in the field specific to cross-cultural CBPR work.